A Star That Fell
by Daydreaming
Summary: What saved Harry as Death Eaters strike, but a large and particularly familiar black dog? Sirius might be gone, but Padfoot is back . . . Is this perhaps too much for Harry to hope to be true? post OoP AU
1. A Row

Disclaimer: harry potter will never be mine!

Summary: What saved Harry as Death Eaters strike, but a large and particularly familiar black dog? Sirius might be gone, but Padfoot is back . . . Is this perhaps too much for Harry to hope to be true?

AN: My take on how Sirius could have survived! My second attempt at a long fanfic, hopefully will work. Not a native English speaker, so please be tolerant if you find anything weirded... thanks my beta for this chapter, who was formerly Rawiya, now Kaidan's Quill.

Now please read and kindly review!

Chapter 1: A Row  
  
Vernon Dursley grunted and ground his square jaws together. He was highly distressed. He stretched his neck and looked around from his seat on the sofa of his spotlessly clean house and stared at the stairs leading to the second floor, willing something to happen, yet nothing did. He turned back to the newspaper at hand and groaned deeply again. His wife Petunia then appeared out of the kitchen. With a mug of hot steaming coffee in her hands, she approached her husband with her eyes fixed in the direction of the stairs.  
  
"Vernon, dear, have another cup of coffee," said Petunia absent- mindedly. Without lifting his head above the newspaper, Vernon groaned a response, which was followed by the sound of the hot coffee being poured into his empty cup. Several seconds passed.  
  
"Thank you, Petunia."  
  
But the sound of pouring coffee didn't stop. And the next instant, Vernon felt the boiling liquid came into contact with his stout legs. "Petunia!" he yelped, and jumped up from the sofa, madly hitting his stinging leg with the newspaper. His screams snapped Petunia out of her trance. "Oh! Vernon, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to . . ." she squeaked with a shaken voice and hurriedly wiped at Vernon's trousers with the front of her apron. Vernon groaned in frustration, yet again.  
  
Less than a year ago, Vernon would have given anything to get that freak of a nephew out of his house and out of his sight, but now what he wanted above all was to see the unnaturally slim and bony body of his nephew, Harry Potter, to awkwardly make his way down the stairs. Only last summer, the stupid boy had tried to butt in their living room so often to "listen to the news" and it annoyed Vernon to no ends. When he found out that some mad homicidal freaks were supposed to be after his nephew, Vernon had hoped to kick him out of his house and away from his family. Yet his lovely wife forbade him from doing so. Vernon kept trying to probe into the reason behind such behaviour, but Petunia had kept her mouth shut about the issue. Vernon then settled on praising his wife that she was being generous and didn't want to let her nephew suffer on the street.  
  
However, this summer, Vernon had come to the conclusion that his nephew has finally gone mental. First of all, the temper of the boy seemed to have evaporated into nothingness. When Harry was spoken to, he would only utter a one-word reply or give a slight incline of his head. But what was troubling his family more was the fact that the boy didn't really give himself much chance to be spoken to. The first thing he had done upon entering the house was to head upstairs with his belongings and lock himself in his bedroom. For the two weeks since his return from school, he simply refused to come downstairs. He even didn't open his window to let all those bloody owls inside. This meant that Vernon and his family always were woken in the dead of night or early in the morning by the noises of persistent crushes of owl beaks against the glass window. What unnerved the Dursleys the most was that the boy was refusing to eat. The boy hadn't come downstairs once for a meal, even the food Petunia so kindly pushed into the boy's room was mostly left untouched. As a result, the fear that the freak might die in their precious house quickly mounted in the heart of the Dursleys. They didn't know which parts of the boy had gone wrong this time, but after being harassed by a group of full-grown freaks at the train station, they couldn't afford letting the boy die right under their roof. The risk was too high. Yes, the risk was indeed too high, Vernon thought to himself and then a grim determination set in on his face.  
  
Vernon pushed her wife's brushing hand away from his still stinging legs. Petunia stopped babbling apologies and stared at Vernon in fear. At that particular moment, their son Dudley strode into the room with his piggy hands full of food. He stopped in mid stride as even his unbelievably thick head registered the serious atmosphere that hung heavily around the living room. Vernon surveyed his wife and son with his eyes set. "Well, Petunia. " Petunia's body quivered like a tree caught up in a lightning storm. "We cannot let this continue. It's time we contact the boy's . . . his bloody. . . bloody teachers. "  
  
Harry banged his head dejectedly against the window and stared unseeingly to the street below. The sun had just set and everything outside was still vaguely covered with the last rays of daylight, making everything seemed unreal. Harry could feel Hedwig's large relentless amber eyes following his every move. He wanted to shout at Hedwig so that she would stop her accusing glare, but Harry simply didn't have the energy to do so. He had tried to shove her out of his window, freeing her from the cell that he had built around his soul in the small bedroom, but she had persistently flew back into the room before he could snap the window shut.  
  
Harry brought his body towards the desk to the cage where Hedwig was resting. "You don't have to do this, you know," Harry dragged his limp hand up and stroked Hegwig lightly over her back, "I don't deserve your company." Hedwig snapped her beak impatiently and again shot Harry a disapproving glare. Harry was sure that if Hedwig could speak, she would tell him to stop being silly.  
  
"I cannot help being stupid and useless, you know." Harry withdrew back into his now favourite corner of the dark bedroom and threw himself on the floor. His life, his sense of purpose, and his whole world ended the moment Sirius Black fell through the veil in the Department of Mysteries. If Harry had known that all his efforts and struggles would ultimately lead him to this place of despair, he surely would have stopped trying or struggling a long time ago. What was the point of fighting so hard, if in the end, he was to be all alone? Harry drew his legs up to his chest and banged his head against the cold wall repeatedly.  
  
Somewhere inside his body and beyond his grief, Harry felt an all-consuming rage. He was angry at Dumbledore for not involving him in anything, at Snape for not telling him Sirius had not been captured and stopped giving him Occlumency lessons, at Professor Lupin for holding him back when Sirius needed him most and doing nothing as his last remaining best friend fell through that veil, and above all, at Sirius, who had let himself be senseless killed, rendering Harry alone with no one but his own guilt for company. How could he have imposed such a horrible fate on him? Harry couldn't believe and didn't want to believe all these were true. He wanted to put the blame on anyone and everyone else other then himself, because he knew the blame solely lay on him and no one else. But such a thought would surely drive him mad . . . was he not mad now? But why should he or anyone care . . .  
  
In his trance, Harry was dimly aware that someone had pressed the doorbell. But he couldn't care less about some stray salesman, even if it was beyond working hours. His exhausted and overwhelmed brain hardly registered the sound of soft footsteps being made by someone slowly making his or her way up the stairs. There was some strange sound outside his door, and it took Harry a good long minute to realize that someone was knocking gently. Harry stopped pounding his head against the wall but made no move to acknowledge the knock.  
  
"Harry, may I come in?" a hoarse, but gentle voice rang from outside his room. Harry tried to associate a face to the familiar voice, but it was pointless. He didn't care who was standing outside his room.  
  
"Harry, I know you are in here listening. Is it okay if I come in? I really want to talk to you." Harry finally recognized the voice as Lupin's, the very man who held him from his godfather as he fell through the veil. Would it be too much to hope that his former DADA teacher would think that he was asleep and leave him alone if he kept silent?  
  
"I am coming in now." Curiously, Harry could hear the metallic scrape as the key slid into the lock of the room. The lock clicked open, meaning the man standing outside got the key to his room. What was his uncle thinking by letting a werewolf into his house, and giving the key to his room no less? Harry laid his forehead on his bent knees and buried his face with his mess of damp black hair and arms before Lupin's eyes could make contact with his. The faint, almost inaudible footsteps announced that Lupin had entered the room. The gentle click on the door meant that Harry, who did not welcome any contact with any living beings in the world, was locked in with a werewolf.  
  
A few minutes passed in silence. Harry started to believe that Lupin entering his room had only been an illusion produced by his malfunctioning mind, until Lupin shifted his weight and caused the floorboard to crack slightly in protest.  
  
Lupin, presumably having finished his survey of the battered teenager hiding in the shadow of the corner, broke the prevailing silence with his hoarse and strained voice. "Harry, do you know why I am here?"  
  
Only God wanted to know why you were here, but I do not, thank you very much, Harry thought dully to himself.  
  
"Harry, actually we have been thinking of getting here for a while now . . . to see how you are coping. But what urged me here earlier than planned was your uncle's message. "  
  
Harry remained silent.  
  
"He told us that you haven't been eating properly since you got home. "  
  
Home? What home? The home, which his heart belonged, fell through the veil weeks ago, didn't that stupid werewolf know?  
  
"I won't ask you whether you feel fine or not. I know as a fact that you feel like crap, because I do. But you very well know that starving yourself or killing yourself will get you nowhere. It's not helping anyone, and it's not achieving anything. You are not even punishing yourself by doing this. You are merely punishing us."  
  
Why was he still babbling? Someone please have mercy and shut him up.  
  
"Always remember that there are many people who care about you. Stop hurting yourself, Harry. I know it is hard to accept. It is hard to cope with and it is most unfair. You are not the only one who have a difficult time dealing with it,"  
  
Something strange, something akin to a different emotion than grieve or anger stirred within Harry's battered heart. Lupin's voice croaked slightly as he continued, "and I won't lie to you that I have not been able to eat properly for weeks. But I know that I couldn't carry on like that. He wouldn't want me grieving and wasting away like that, I know. And I also want you to know that many people do not want you to waste away your life as you are doing now. Molly is dead worried about you, you know, and is threatening to come here any day now to push food down your throat if she must. "  
  
Mrs. Weasley? Wasn't she the one who was particularly mean to Sirius last year? Who cared about what she thought? The feeling that previously stirred in Harry was then abruptly extinguished and replaced by a burning sensation. He tightened his loose fingers into fists.  
  
"So I think it is a good idea for you to eat something soon, Harry." Anyone could have seen through the fake cheerfulness straight away and it was lame, thought Harry grimly. The floorboard gave a string of protests as Lupin crossed the distance between himself and Harry with a few strides and knelt down. "Harry, I want you to understand that you cannot hide in this corner forever. You will not have to face what is outside of this room alone. Stop trying to punish yourself because you haven't done anything wrong to deserve punishment. You will have to come out of your shell one day," Lupin uttered his words in a determined voice, "because Sirius would have wanted you to."  
  
Anger flared up. Harry jerked his head up so fast that bright colour spots and sparks exploded in his vision. "Don't you dare to bring Sirius into this!"  
  
Harry's outburst would have caught most people off guard, but Lupin's calm and sad demeanor remained steadfast. "Why would I not dare to mention Sirius?" Harry's fist clenched even more tightly as his godfather's name came out of Lupin's mouth again. Lupin continued. "He has every right to be remembered by all of us, and we should do what he would have wanted us to do. I know what he would think of your behaviour. Is it so hard for you to figure out, Harry? You might not have known him as long as I have, but you know that Sirius would not have wanted you to suffer. " Harry really wanted to retort to his words, but Lupin suddenly grabbed Harry's shoulders with his hands and shook him slightly, forcing Harry to listen to every single word he had to say. "I am not afraid to bring Sirius's name into this because I am seeing history repeating itself. Sirius knew that your parents' death was not his fault. He switched secret keeper out of his love for his best friends. He would not have foreseen that Wormtail would betray us. It was not his fault. He knew that they would have hoped that he would not blame himself, yet he did. Do you blame Sirius for your parents' deaths?"  
  
"Of course not! I – "  
  
"Didn't you go to the Department of Mysteries because you wanted to save him from Voldemort? Was what you did not purely out of your love of Sirius? Would Sirius blame you for this? " Harry wanted to scream in frustration and hit Lupin. Lupin did not understand. He did not understand even a bit of what he felt. Knowing something and accepting something were two completely different matters! Harry was sure that Sirius would have understood how he felt. His heart gave a painful lurch at the thought of Sirius once again. He did not want to think of all of these. He did not want to be reminded of the painful incident! Leave him alone! Let him be . . . Lupin did not understand. His own pain could not light a candle to Harry's anguish.  
  
"Harry!" Lupin tightened his clutch on Harry's shoulders and shook him with a renewed vigor. "I, no, we all need you be strong. It is what Sirius would have wanted. No one is asking you to face all these alone. Even if he is not here physically, his spirit will be with you! Ron and Hermione will be with you! I'll be with you!"  
  
"Ha! So this is what you want!" Harry madly shoved Lupin's hands off his shoulders with a strength that surprised Harry himself. He wildly flung his arms out in front of himself to increase the distance between himself and the werewolf and he sharply stood up. He panted heavily and fixed his gaze on Lupin, hatred filling his whole being. Lupin followed his movement and also stood up from the ground with less calm and grace than before.  
  
"Harry – "  
  
"I know what you want now! Is it why you held me back back there? YOU WANTED HIM GONE! You want Sirius gone so that you can fill his place! So you can start bossing me around with him out of the picture!"  
  
"I most certainly didn't!" Harry was triumphant to see Lupin's calm demeanor broken – he would stop putting up a caring face now. He would show his true colours! But as Harry stared, Lupin unclenched his fist and looked Harry in his eyes. "What gave you the idea? I cared about Sirius, just as much if not more than you do! He is – he was the only friend I had left!"  
  
"YOU LIAR!" Harry couldn't see reasons. He allowed himself to be consumed by his rage. "You believed that he was a murderer just because he was thrown into Azkaban! You just accepted that your best friend was a murderer without questioning because some idiots thought he had been! WHAT KIND OF BEST FRIEND WAS THAT! You never forgave him for not letting you know they switched, did you? DID YOU! "  
  
"I DID FORGIVE HIM!" Lupin bellowed like a wounded wolf desperate for escape and the sheer volume of his voice froze Harry for a second. Lupin shakily raised his hand to cover his eyes. When he lowered his hands, the cool demeanor was almost restored, but his sad smile looked more like a grimace than a smile. "Harry, you really hit a nerve. But you won't get rid of me that easily, after all you are not yourself."  
  
"I am myself! I am not possessed! AND I DO NOT NEED YOUR SYMPATHY! What I need is him! Him!" Lupin's calmness, no matter whether it was genuine or false, was fueling Harry's anger almost as much as the Dumbledore's calmness had done in his office when he tried to 'explain everything'.  
  
"I am not – "  
  
"YOU ARE! " Harry stormed past Lupin and tried to get to the door.  
  
"Harry!" Lupin grabbed Harry's hand and turned him around, where he was faced with not only Harry's anger, but his wand point as well Harry directed his wand straight over Lupin's heart.  
  
"Release my hand," Harry hissed through gritted teeth.  
  
"Do you think I would comply? I can't let you wander on the street by yourself. You mustn't leave, even if it means I will have to tie you up to make you hear what I'm saying. I am not giving up on you. "  
  
"Release me," Red sparks were springing from Harry's wand point, charring Lupin's shabby muggle shirt.  
  
"Go on. Curse me if it is what you want. But I won't release  
you. "  
  
In a flash, Harry hurled the stunning curse at Lupin. At exactly the same instant, Lupin withdrew his wand from the back pocket of his jeans and deflected the curse with a shield. He threw the curse off completely, but the recoil of the curse made him stagger. He didn't release his grip, but for fleeting second it was loosened and that was all Harry needed. With a swift fling of his malnourished arm, Harry freed his hand from Lupin's grip. Harry threw the door open and with equally surprising speed, Harry raced down the stairs for the first time since he arrived at number 4 Privet Drive. Lupin quickly followed Harry's progress out of the room, but then found himself face to face with none other than Vernon Dursley, who had obviously been spying on them. Vernon Dursley bombarded him with insignificant questions and blocked Lupin's way to the stairs with his bulky body. Lupin simply roared, "Out of my way!"  
  
When Lupin, after a hell lot of struggling, got Dursley out of his way he flew down the stairs and hurriedly made his way out of the open front door. He whipped his head around to both sides of the road, and with a sinking heart realized that Harry was nowhere to be seen.  
  
What Lupin really wanted to do then was to tilt his head towards the starless sky and howl. But he restrained himself. He had got more urgent matter at hand – finding Harry before anyone else did. 


	2. A Storm and Three Death Eaters

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

a

AN: THXX to all who have reviewed! I havent expected such a good response... I felt surprised, delighted and honored! Hope that this chapter can meet your expectation. Again, huge thanks to my beta-reader, Kaidan's Quill, who made this much more neat to read. Now, read and enjoy and review!

a

Chapter 2 A Storm and Three Death Eaters  
  
Harry charged down the road without any idea on where he was heading. He didn't care where he was going. He didn't care that he had, for a third time, broken the Decree for Restriction of Underage Sorcery. His heart was pounding heavily against his ribcage and he thought he would die of breathlessness if he didn't stop soon. But he carried on running, because wasn't going to get himself killed exactly the point of rowing with Lupin and escaping the house afterwards? However, he was at the end of his physical strength. His wary feet skipped and inevitably Harry's bony body came into contact with the tough ground. The impact knocked the non- existent breath out of Harry's lungs, and he rolled over. For an everlasting minute, Harry just lay on the cold and coarse ground and listened to his thundering breaths. Any second now . . . at any moment Death Eaters would spring out of nowhere and finish him off . . . then he could finally join Sirius or even his parents in the other world.  
  
_Will they welcome you with open arms if you let yourself be so stupidly killed_? Snapped a mean voice at the back of Harry's mind. Harry couldn't help but admit that the nasty voice was right.  
  
_ Do you know what you look like now? Lying 'bonelessly' on the ground, waiting to be picked up by your godfather's strong arms?_ Yes, Harry dejectedly admitted that he was a mess. He was a terrible sight to behold. Surely the Death Eaters would find quite a laugh when they found The–Boy–Who– Lived sleeping on the ground. Harry noticed for the first time that he was lying in a remote part of Little Whinging. Came to think of it, it was lucky for him to have come when he had no idea where he was heading. He could have very well been being hit by Ms. Figg with her bag of cat food if she had come across him and had seen what a mess he was. Harry pushed the thought of the mad old lady out of his mind and stared to the bottomless and starless sky above. The drifting of the thick clouds was hastened by a strong wind. Harry shivered at the cold wind that cut into his exposed bare skin without mercy.  
  
_You were mean to Professor Lupin, you know_. The accusing tone of Harry's mind voice was lowered. What could Harry do but agree? Lupin must be furious now. What had he said to Lupin anyway? Had he really meant it? He didn't know.  
  
_Let me very humbly remind you that you have just angered your last link to your deceased parents, and not to mention the last remaining link to your godfather_. The voice sounded almost sympathetic now. It must have been the cold wind that dampened the voice's, no, his anger. But without anger Harry would very soon be overwhelmed and drowned by his own grief . . .  
  
Before Harry could drown in his grief, he was almost drowned by rain. As Harry watched, small droplets of silvery water floated gracefully down from the bottomless sky. The wind that was mounting in intensity made the feather-like rain descend from the sky like a curtain, or perhaps a veil of the fine silk. Harry shuddered at the thought of a veil, but a downpour of heavy droplets soon replaced the image. It extinguished the fire that flared up when Lupin first uttered Sirius' name back in the bedroom. Harry pushed his upper body up from the ground and found his way towards a broken. He sat on the ground with his back leaning on the post. His glasses were wet, and he could no longer distinguish the rain with tears. His heart felt as if a fresh wound had been inflicted upon the unhealed and not so old one, causing it to bleed all over again. Yet his mind had not been as clear since Sirius' demise. A flash of lightning flickered across two storm clouds, illuminating the pitch-black street for a fleeting second. Thunder followed and was so loud that it shook Harry's frozen spine. Didn't that particular thunder sound like the roar of Sirius? Sirius was mad at him . . . he didn't want Harry to mourn for him. Perhaps this rainstorm had been sent by Sirius from above so as to snap him out of his stupor. Perhaps it was from his parents. How he could possibly know . . .  
  
Suddenly, his cleared mind registered one fact – someone, or something was watching him. The realization hit Harry hard. This feeling of being watched was reminiscent of another encounter before . . . In the interval of another flash of lightening, Harry stood up, still leaning on the lamppost to support for his wobbly legs. But he was not fast enough, and by the time he was steady on his feet and had spun his head wildly around for the smallest trace of any living creatures, the area had once again been immersed in total darkness. Yet the feeling of being stalked prevailed. A powerful surge of feeling flooded his body and left Harry dizzy and light-headed. He clutched his chest with his trembling hands and swayed on his feet. It was almost too painful for Harry to hope – but the feeling was unmistakable. He could not be wrong. Harry's heart was pounding hard. He squinted his eyes to get a better view of his surroundings. The rain and the darkness were making it very difficult to see beyond a meter away. It reminded Harry of only one thing – the Quidditch match during his third year when Dementors flooded the stadium and when He watched him. But it didn't make sense. If he (Harry then was afraid of even thinking of his name for fear that the hope would be so ruthlessly squashed) was really here, he would certainly have revealed himself. He had no reason to hide from Harry. But that was if he really had been there . . .  
  
Another flash of lightning lit the sky. Harry noticed several things as the lightning illuminated everything with a bright electric blue light. First, the thing watching him had moved and Harry couldn't feel it as sharply as before. His focus on it wavered and dispersed. Then he noticed that the thing wasn't the only living creature around the deserted street. During the momentary flash of brightness, three dark and tall silhouettes flashed distinctively out on the other end of the otherwise empty street.  
  
Harry had no time to let the situation sink in. Tremendous thunder reverberated in the air around and in the ground beneath Harry's feet. Another flash of lightning closely followed, revealing that the three tall and ghastly silhouettes were already halfway across the street. Only then did Harry realize how sluggish his arms and legs were and how void of strength his body was. His numb and clumsy fingers closed around his wand. That was all Harry managed to do before ducking behind the lamppost with an equally clumsy movement. Three blasts of coloured light scorched the ground where he stood moments ago, scarcely missing the target.  
  
Harry's attackers were not daunted by the fact that their first assault had missed their mark. It egged them on and urged them to send another round of curses in Harry's direction. Harry erected a shield around himself to block all the nasty curses, and sprinted down the street. The presence he felt just before the attackers interfered sustained Harry's determination to survive. He certainly could not let himself be killed. Not before he found out what the presence was. Not before he saw him again.  
  
The thought of him stirred something enormous within Harry's body. Emotion swirled, and a sensation of warmth germinated at the deep within his body –a feeling of hope. The warmth soon was overflowing Harry's whole being and even deep within his veins. The feeling was so alien to Harry – he hadn't haboured such a feeling ever since the incident at the graveyard. The feeling swelled as his feet pounded onto the slippery ground, and exploded as lightning illuminated the area. For a fraction of a second, his gaze met the gaze of a pair of pale eyes in the dark alley ahead.  
  
"Potter! We won't stop until you're dead! " The menacing bellow was hardly heard over the noise of heavy downpour clashing against the ground. Harry swirled around and stood his ground with his legs apart and crouched in a fighting stance. He was ready for anything. But what greeted him were only the endless curtains of rain and their splashing sound against the pavement. He squinted his eyes and swept his vision down both sides of the street without spotting the slightest trace of the three Death Eaters. All of a sudden, Harry felt how exposed he was in the empty street.  
  
"Scared yet, Potter?" A taunting voice rang behind Harry. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned abruptly. Yet there was no sign of the owner of the voice.  
  
"There is nowhere to run. No one is going to save your hide this time, " another taunting voice said from the same direction Harry was facing. Harry turned and could hear muffled laughter in the dark. They were laughing at him, a cornered prey that couldn't escape from the hunters' trap, yet so desperate for salvation. Harry couldn't pinpoint the source of the laughter. The rain was dulling his senses. Where were they hiding?  
  
"Give up now, Potter!" The voice squeaked with apparent excitement to Harry's right.  
  
"Surrender yourself!" Another voice shrieked to his left.  
  
"Just stop fighting! Surrender yourself to us! " Three relentless voices chanted through the rain and they seemingly coming at Harry from every direction. They were closing in on him. The darkness was closing in on him and the hopelessness crushed his overloaded mind. Where could he run? Who could he turn to? But Harry forbade himself to be scared. He forbade himself to give in to their bait and he suppressed the fear that threatened to overcome his logic. Giving into fear was exactly what the enemies wanted . . . he wouldn't fall for such a wicked trick, because the feeling of hope had not been extinguished yet.  
  
Ignoring the taunting voices, Harry shifted his legs and his body, senses alert for any movement in the dark. Finally his back came into contact with the solid wall of a building. Either the rain had increased in intensity so that voices could not be carried over a distance, or his attackers had the sense to shut their mouths, because Harry could no longer hear his pursuers.  
  
Without any forewarning, blasts of bright lights announced the advancement of curses towards Harry. Harry blocked them with a shield. He sprinted crouching along the wall while hurling stunning curses towards the direction of the curses. Harry couldn't devise any practicable plan to take out the Death Eaters. Perhaps the more sensible approach was to hurry back to number 4 Privet Drive, where there was the protection that Dumbledore had set up. Harry decided that would be his objective as curses after curses followed Harry's trail. But Harry soon realized that before he could get out of this street, he would most likely be cursed to oblivion. 'If only I could make out their position, ' Harry thought to himself.  
  
As if answering his thought, a loud yelp was heard through the splashing sound of the rain. It was roughly several meters to the front right of Harry, and he, without further contemplation, yelled "_Stupefy_!" and pointed his wand towards that direction. It missed its mark, but the Death Eater was forced to roll onto the ground to avoid being hit. And soon Harry spotted what caused the Death Eater to yell in the first place with the help from the faint lamp light from the far end of the street – it was something flying. For a wild moment, Harry thought that it was Fawkes, but soon he realized that the thing diving and jabbing at the rolling Death Eater on the floor was none other than his beloved owl, Hedwig. Harry had no idea how she had gotten there, but as the Death Eater kept yelling and cursing madly at his loyal owl, Harry knew he had to act fast.  
  
"Out of the way!" Harry yelled over the rain, indifferent to the fact that he may as well have marked his position with a bright sign. Hedwig took the hint and flew upwards for several feet, and Harry took the chance. "_Stupefy_!" He directed the curse at the still disorientated Death Eater on the ground. Without seeing if his curse reached its target or not, Harry rolled over onto the pavement and immediately a red light flew above his head. Harry rolled sideways again as curses flew towards him from all around. His stunning curse must have missed.  
  
Another loud yelp erupted from behind Harry; the culprit was without doubt Hedwig's faithful beak.  
  
"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Harry shouted towards the direction of the commotion. The commotion was smothered and Harry knew that this time he finally hit his mark.  
  
"Bloody owl!" another angry voice roared very close to the fallen Death Eater. What happened next nearly stopped Harry's heartbeat – through the curtain of downpours, Harry made out a faint shout of something akin to a curse, then, a blast of light that was unmistakably green – the colour of death. After a loud and distancing shriek, Harry could no longer discern the faint outline of his beloved owl in the air.  
  
"Hedwig! No!" Harry cried out in desperation, his legs carried his body towards the direction of his fallen owl. "Hedwig!" He shouted, oblivious that he was heading straight towards the enemy.  
  
"Noooo!" Harry yelled with all his strength, his voice saturated with grief and rage. Something slashed across his back – a curse – hit Harry in the back at that moment, but it bounced off from the shell of Harry's grief. Due to the combined effect of his exhaustion and the impact of the curse, Harry fell to a kneeling position, his eyelids squeezed shut in agony.  
  
"Yes, Potter. That's the spirit. Bow to the inevitable." Harry lowered his head, staring at the ground in a daze. A few seconds later, the hem of a dark robe drifted into his blurred vision. Harry's hands lay uselessly at his sides. He didn't want it to end here. He couldn't bear the irony of the situation. He, The–Boy–Who– Lived, survived encounters with the Dark Lord himself so many times, only to meet his sticky end at the hands of three stray Death Eaters. An end that was so pointless, just like that of his godfather . . . he didn't want it to end here. He didn't want to go without seeing his face again. He didn't want to be extinguished without first seeing what was the presence that he felt . . .  
  
"Stun him," the Death Eater behind Harry muttered, the cruelty and the satisfaction in the voice apparent even from Harry's position on the ground. The rainstorm was lessening. The surrounding cleared up, but that was of no use to Harry then.  
  
"My pleasure." Harry could sense the Death Eater standing right in front of him raise his arm. Harry knew he ought to be filled with panic – he ought to fight. He had to do something to stop them. But he couldn't raise his wand arm. He had nothing left inside of him. For what he believed to be the last time, Harry shut his eyes.  
  
Sirius . . . ! His mind screamed.  
  
"_Stu_ - " the Death Eater uttered when abruptly his voice rose by an octave and a surprised shriek replaced his words. Harry jerked his head up, and immediately felt rather than saw a great dark shape leap just behind his back. Harry knelt transfixed as his eyes were glued to the great bear- like creature that jumped clear off his head and collided solidly with the surprised Death Eater. The momentum of the collision was so enormous that both Death Eater and the creature fell to the ground in a disarray of limbs and rolled, struggling against each other, for several meters before coming to a stop.  
  
The rain stopped.  
  
And the clouds shifted.  
  
Silvery moonlight fell from the half-full moon that escaped from layers upon layers of dark grey clouds, illuminating the surroundings with a gentle glow. It was as if nature was bent upon Harry's will –to see clearly what was happening, his will to lay his eyes upon the one thing he desired above all, his will to prove that they were all wrong, his will to prove that his godfather was not forever gone. It was a wish so deep-rooted and desperate that Harry's body and mind were bursting with rampant emotions once the wish was fulfilled. He stared unblinkingly and unwaveringly at the large black dog that was growling and slashing the three Death Eaters with its powerful paws. One moment it was scraping at the nearest Death Eater's arm so that he dropped his wand in agony, the next moment it had already leapt headlong into the chest of another Death Eater and crushed his body against the ground with a cracking sound. The dog was about to sink his pointy canine teeth into the Death Eater's neck when the third one was already upon the dog's back. Before the dog could turn around, it was thrown off the Death Eater's body by a curse from the third. It landed on the wet ground after flying for a short distance.  
  
As if bearing a will of its own, Harry's body rose from the ground. His legs started to move with long strides towards the three Death Eaters and the dog.  
  
The third Death Eater had already jumped over the semi-conscious Death Eater on the ground and headed towards the dog. Yet the dog was only whimpering under its breath and made no move to stand up and defend itself.  
  
"_Inpedimentia! Expelliarmus_! " Roared Harry with a voice so unlike his own. It was deep and calm, and yet so close to the breaking point. The two curses left his wand tip with a force so large that Harry staggered from the recoil. Fast as lightning, the curses found their targets. With his wand blown meters above his head, the Death Eater was sent flying through the night air and crushed to the ground with an unceremonious thud.  
  
The dog was on its feet then. With his rampant emotions swelling to the bursting point within his chest, Harry was dying to run towards it, but it stopped him with a warning bark. Only then was Harry aware that the first Death Eater was advancing towards him with his wand raised in his left hand, his right hand bleeding and limping uselessly on one side. Without much thought, Harry turned his wand upon the intruding Death Eater and issued a stunning curse at almost the same time as the Death Eater. Two red lights met in mid air. The Death Eater's was knocked off course. However, Harry's wasn't and it forced his opponent to duck and roll onto the ground. With the intention of finishing the remaining obstacle between his godfather and he, Harry cast another stunning curse. But the effort behind the curse was too much and Harry's hand was forced slightly upwards from the recoil even before the curse was completely off his wand tip. The blast of red light strayed from the intended path and missed the crouching Death Eater by less than an inch. By then the Death Eater was ready. He leapt and flung his body at Harry with his wand outstretched.  
  
But not only the Death Eater was ready to strike. The black dog had already gained its footing and closed the distance between them as Harry and the Death Eater exchanged curses. Not even a second after the Death Eater leapt, the dog's powerful jaw connected with the Death Eater's robed leg in mid air and with a wild spin of its giant head, pulled the Death Eater back.  
  
The unmistakable sound of bone cracking was immediately followed by the anguished and inhuman-like howls of the Death Eater. The dog jumped off before the Death Eater could crush upon it. The Death Eater then fell onto the ground, the heavy impact splashed rainwater up in every direction. He kept howling and withering, his unwounded left hand clutched his crushed left leg tightly as if willing the pain to go away.  
  
All that was unimportant to Harry. His attention was undivided on the large black dog. The dog's long black hair was limp and stuck to its body; its mouth was open and its tongue was out panting for breath. A long tooth in its partially opened mouth still dripped with blood. Harry held his breath and he didn't dare to close his eyes even for a millionth of a second, for fear that the creature before him would vanish if he so much as dared to disrupt the silence between the two of them or let the dog out of his sight. Harry, his body still shaking, approached upon the dog and knelt down. With his hand quivering madly, Harry reached out for the dog. The dog did not move or blink. Harry's hand moved closer and closer towards the dog's head. His shivering fingertips were only several centimeters away from its snout now. Just a little further . . . just a little further and Harry could touch Sirius once again . . .  
  
"Harry!" Someone shouted from behind. It shattered the magic moment and Harry's body jerked at the intrusion. Just for the briefest moment his attention wavered, and the next moment, the black dog was no longer within his reach nor his sight. Harry spun his head around. After a few panic- stricken seconds, Harry spotted the dog standing ten meters away from him. Then emerald eyes met pale blue eyes.  
  
"Sirius . . ." Harry croaked weakly, his hand still outstretched. "Siri-" Harry tried to shout, but was stopped as the dog shook his gigantic head. Harry couldn't understand. Why did Sirius back away from him? Didn't he know how much Harry miss him? Didn't he know Harry couldn't live without him? . . .  
  
Harry's mind drifted away. Numbly, he registered the fact that his world had been enveloped in blackness and his head had collided with the stone- cold ground. He welcomed the coldness as it eased the pounding in his scull. His strength and his emotion were fading fast with the increasing cold.  
  
Strangely, the coldness was lifted and the equilibrium of his world was broken. His world was shaking and shifting up and down in a gentle rhythm. Harry realized after a full minute that someone was carrying him. His head no longer felt the coldness because it was resting on the warm shoulder of someone.  
  
"Sirius?" Murmured Harry weakly as he, with great effort, lifted his lead- filled eyelids. Through his blurred vision, however, pale blue eyes or black hair were nowhere to be found.  
  
"It's ok now, Harry. " It was the familiar hoarse but gentle voice again. Not the voice of the one Harry had hoped. "Rest. We are getting home," said the voice stubbornly.  
  
Harry complied.


	3. A Dog at Doorstep

Disclaimer: Nothing Harry Potter is mine .  
  
AN: HUGE THANKS to ALL WHO REVIEWED!  
Beware, the third chapter, the one in which two tortured soul finally unite! But of course things won't go easy on them... And beware, this is an un-beta-ed version... so please be tolerant of grammatical mistakes and such.  
  
Read, enjoy and Review!  
  
Chapter 3 A Dog at the Doorstep  
  
Harry didn't remember how he had gotten back to his little bedroom in 4, Privet Drive. One thing he knew, he was being carried by Lupin, the next thing, he was lying on his bed, his whole body seemed to have made of lead. Vaguely, he remembered his soaked clothes and body becoming dry and warm. Someone had tilted his head and fed him sips of liquid. Harry couldn't remember whether the liquid tasted bitter or not, nor did he even remember his head ever hitting the pillow.  
  
The first thing Harry felt as he rose from the world of unconsciousness was the irritating sunlight that burnt his eyelids. He opened his eyes, then immediately covered them with his hand to block out the offending rays. He groaned and shifted uneasily on the sheet on the bed, his body aching all over. His voice was hoarse and his throat felt itchily dry.  
  
"Harry?" Someone said softly. Harry jumped a little at the voice, squinted his eyes and found a blurry figure sitting just besides his bed.  
  
"Here." The blurry figure handed Harry his thick-rimmed glasses. Harry hastily put them on. He supported his upper body up with his wobbly arms until he got to a sitting position. What greeted him was the sight of Remus Lupin as shabby, if not more, as ever. His eyes had dark circles below them and his muggle clothes hung loosely on his thin frame. Under Harry's scrutiny, Lupin ran his hand over his disheveled light brown hair and stuffed a yawn.  
  
"Goo- Good morning. Slept well? " Asked Lupin. Guilt rose inside Harry.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose," Harry replied. Yes, he had miraculously slept well. But anyone could tell that Lupin had not. He must have stayed up all night to watch over Harry. Harry wondered why Remus would still put up with him after all the false and cruel accusations Harry had thrown at him last night.  
  
"That's good. You have Madam Pomfrey to thank that for, actually. She provided the strengthening and dreamless potion I fed you last night. You probably don't remember me saying so to you, do you? "  
  
"No. I was . . . pretty out of it," Harry couldn't suppress the remorse at blowing up at Lupin's face. Harry bit his lips for a moment, and said, "I am sorry about last night." Harry didn't quite dare to meet Lupin's eyes, for he knew he would find forgiveness he didn't deserve within the depths of those light brown eyes.  
  
. "Sor- " Lupin stuffed another yawn, "- Sorry? No, please don't be. I understand how you felt and, honestly, I have also been insensitive last night. "  
  
. Harry couldn't help but fix Lupin with a disbelieving gaze. Lupin smiled sadly in return. "Being in close proximity of three of the thickest guys in the world for more than ten years can do that to you, you know."  
  
. Harry continued to stare a bit incredulously at Lupin, and was at a complete loss of words. Three of the thickest guys in the world . . . that must be referring to his dad, who died fifteen years ago, the traitor, who betrayed all fifteen years ago, and, his godfather, who . . .  
  
. Yes! This would be what Harry could do to make up for his rudeness last night . . . No. This was what Remus Lupin deserved to know – that Sirius was not truly gone! Lupin was the only one who could possibly understand how Harry felt now. Lupin was the only one in the whole world who wouldn't think Harry as insane when Harry told him Sirius was indeed alive!  
  
. "Harry? " Lupin voice prompted Harry for response. Harry realized that he had perhaps blanked out for too long, and choked out, "Professor Lupin-"  
  
. "I prefer to be called 'Remus' when we are out of school – that is if you don't mind."  
  
. "Ok, prof- no, Remus, I need to tell you something." Harry blurted. He felt bursting with the urge to share his secret and his hope with someone. He feared that if he didn't let it out, soon the memory of the encounter would fade and diminish, until one day he couldn't even convince himself that the encounter wasn't only just his imagination or hallucination. Remus kept staring at him with a curious demeanor with an underlying tone of sadness, silently encouraging Harry to continue.  
  
"Last night, when I was on the street, I, " Harry didn't know what would be the best way to approach the topic, and a lump seemed to rise to his throat, making it hard to utter a coherent sentence. "I- I saw, no, I felt . . . No, I saw - " Harry could see one of Remus' hands jerk, as if trying to grab something, but it merely traveled from his own thigh to his knee and stayed there. Harry felt he really ought to tell Remus this – he deserved to know the truth more than anyone else! For one of his dad's best friends, Harry had to do this no matter how hard it was.  
  
Harry took in a deep breath, "Last night, when I was running down the street, I felt I was stalked by something, and I was quite certain that the presence was familiar, as if I have been stalked by the same presence before, " Harry's voice was shaking slightly. Remus gripped his own knees with increasing force until his knuckles turned white. "And?" Asked Remus.  
  
"It was – it was – " The moment when Harry and his godfather locked gaze was so vivid in Harry's mind. Although the distance between them had been large, Harry could still remember the gaze Sirius, or rather Padfoot had given him, and the shake of his hairy head. A thought stabbed at Harry before he could blurt out the name of his godfather. Why had Sirius withdrawn from him? It was when Remus called him from behind. And what did the shake of his head indicate? He was trying to convey something – something important – to Harry. What if Sirius didn't want Remus to know his presence?  
  
"Harry? Are you ok?"  
  
"It was a Death Eater," said Harry, his shoulders slumping downwards.  
  
"Really?" Harry noticed the almost undetectable note of disappointment in Remus' voice – or was that only Harry's imagination? Remus continued after a short pause, "I figure as much. Well, I nearly had a heart attack after you ran out like that. "  
  
Harry tried his best to give Remus a sheepish grin, but he was quite sure that it looked more like a grimace than a grin.  
  
"I am not blaming you or anything, but you know it is not safe for you to run around like that. I am aware of the fact that you are capable of looking after yourself, of course, " Remus added a little hastily, "but I am sure you get the general idea. Anyway, you must feel hungry right now. May be you can wash up and I'll ask your aunt what she's got for breakfast. Then we can talk about what happened last night and perhaps . . . anything else you might want to after breakfast, all right?"  
  
Harry nodded and got off his bed. His eyes swept across the room and spot the empty cage on his desk. It was like suddenly suffering from a severe blow to his head. "Hedwig! My god! Remus!" Harry turned to Remus abruptly and grabbed his arm with both hands. "Hedwig was hurt! Did you see her? She is not dead, is she? Did you – did you find her -" Harry uttered urgently. Remus covered Harry's hands on his arm with his other hand to calm him.  
  
"Easy, Harry. I found her last night and she wasn't dead. She is in good hands now."  
  
"Was she badly hurt? Where is she?"  
  
"Don't worry. She has just got a few scratches. Nothing Hagrid can't heal. I will give you the details later, ok?" Remus squeezed Harry's shaking hands reassuringly before letting go. Harry nodded and tried to steady himself.  
  
After Harry finished using the bathroom and returned to his bedroom, Remus was already waiting there with a plate of toasts and a glass of orange juice. Harry's stomach gave a lurch at the sight of food. It had been like weeks since Harry had felt properly hungry. Then Harry sat on his own bed to savor his breakfast. Remus remained seated on the sole chair in the room and also nipped on a piece of toast, his eyes not leaving Harry for a moment.  
  
After Harry swallowed the last mouthful of orange juice, Remus finally broke the relative silence. "Harry, now I need you to tell me what happened last night in details so that I can report them to Dumbledore later. I have already informed Dumbledore about the incident last night, and both of us were concerned about the fact that Death Eaters cornered you at a place so close to 4 Privet Drive. We are still trying to interpret the motivation behind this attack."  
  
"Motivation? As if there are reasons other than Voldemort wanting to murder me." Harry muttered to himself.  
  
"Well, it may not be what it appears to be. We should not draw our conclusion until we have all the facts. So, begin your side of the incident, will you?"  
  
Harry nodded. And he began from the moment he stormed out of 4 Privet Drive. Then he briefly described how he realized three Death Eaters were stalking him, how they had attacked him and how Hedwig had helped Harry to identify their position in the dark. Harry very conveniently forgot to mention the involvement of the large black dog, and his recount ended with his strength all spent and Remus turning up.  
  
"So, what happened next?" Harry asked.  
  
"When I reached the street and shouted your name, what I saw was two Death Eaters lifting another one off the ground and apparating out of the area. I found you unconscious on the ground and carried you back here. On the way back I found Hedwig lying unconscious on the ground about ten meters away from you and it looked like she was scared by some curses and blown off course by wind. I took you both back and returned to the Headquarter to report the incident and sent Hedwig to Hagrid. I returned here before dawn. "  
  
And then you watched over me all night, added Harry to himself.  
  
"Before I forgot, professor Dumbledore has asked me to tell you that you are allowed to use magic over this holiday under the condition that you wouldn't misuse it. The Ministry cannot detect you using magic as Dumbledore has pulled a few strings and kept their taps off you. " Harry merely uttered an "oh". They then lapsed into momentary silence. There was so much Harry longed to tell Remus, but he didn't know if he should really talk of the presence last night aloud to anybody. Remus looked apprehensive for a moment as if struggling against something inwardly, but finally spoke. "I was quite relieved to not have seen Molly last night when I contacted Professor Dumbledore at the Headquarter. I am sure she would have had a heart attack if she heard of this. "  
  
"How are the Weasleys and Hermione doing?" Harry asked only half-heartedly. He knew he was being selfish, but he had been incapable of caring about anything until last night. Nevertheless, Harry was keen to keep conservation towards that way.  
  
"They are doing . . . quite fine," said Remus, his eyes flickered to the window for a moment to steal a glance at the passing sparrow, "Actually, Molly has been asking about you for a while now. To say that she is very worried would be an understatement. She wondered why you haven't returned the letters sent by Ron and Hermione these two weeks. "  
  
Harry had not even bothered to let the owls delivering the letters Remus had been referring to into his bedroom. Guilt stabbed at Harry once again. "Well, I didn't feel very well back then. Could you apologize to them for me and tell them I feel better now? "  
  
"They would prefer to hear from you personally, I am sure you know. Why don't you write them back yourself?"  
  
Harry averted his eyes to avoid Remus' searching gaze. He was not ready to face his two best friends, not when there was still so much on his mind. Very soon, he could feel Remus dropped his inquiring gaze. "Ok, I will pass your words on to them."  
  
Their conversation went on for about twenty minutes. Again Harry half- heartedly asked about things he knew he should care about, such as what the Ministry was doing, what Voldemort and his followers were doing, what the Order was doing, etc. As if sensing Harry's true intention beyond the questions – to keep the conversation going – Remus gave only very brief or vague answers such as "they are preparing", "We are working against his plans" or "They are plotting to attack soon". Unsurprisingly, Harry wasn't in the least bit agitated by such meaningless answers.  
  
Harry could no longer conjure up topics of conversation that would be safe to discuss. "Remus, you must be very busy with your work for the Order, right? I am sorry to have occupied so much of your time. "  
  
"Not at all, Harry. Nothing is more important than your well-being. "  
  
"No matter what, I am really sorry. I feel better now; you really don't have to stay here. I swear I will eat, so don't worry. "  
  
"You promise you will eat and look after yourself?"  
  
"Of course I will. No one in his or her right mind would want to face the wrath of a werewolf. Or that of one's best friend's over-protective mother, especially not when she was threatening to force food down one's throat."  
  
Remus grinned lightly as he rose from his chair. He clasped Harry's shoulder and said, "rest well and take care. "  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Don't hesitate to call us if you need anything, even if you just want a word with any of us."  
  
Harry nodded again.  
  
Remus had proceeded to the bedroom door and had his hand on the doorknob. "I will keep harassing professor Dumbledore until he allows you to come and stay at the Headquarter."  
  
Harry didn't know whether he should thank Remus or not.  
  
"And do remember," Remus muttered before he closed the door and shut himself out of the room, "You are not alone."

* * *

Harry stared idly at the plate of food lying on the dinner table before him. He had no idea what drove him to do it, but when Aunt Petunia knocked on his door and asked him to join them at dinner, Harry had opened the door and entered the kitchen, on which he hadn't set foot since last summer. Awaiting him were three members of the Dursleys, all carrying a complicated expression of wordless incredibility and relief on their face. They must be quite surprised to see Harry's face after such a long absence to forget putting up their usual expression of revolt and disgust upon seeing their abnormal relative.  
  
Harry poked the boiled potato on his plate around with his fork. He felt full after only a few mouthful of food, and continued his string of thought before Aunt Petunia had interrupted him. He was not conscious to the nervous atmosphere around the table, nor was he aware of the fact that Dudley had slipped and dropped his fork onto the floor for the fourth time since the start of the meal. He stared unseeingly at the luminous screen of the television, his mind again contemplating the meaning of last night's encounter. Harry told himself over and over again that it was no hallucination. He could still recall the feeling of the sharp gaze of his pale blue eyes upon his body. He could still remember its hot breath on his hand as he reached out and tried to touch it. He was sure the shabby black dog that saved him last night was the animagus form of his godfather, Sirius Black. Harry could have recognized him anywhere. But how did he survive? How could he have survived when everyone, including Dumbledore, was telling Harry that he was gone?  
  
_It is not like he is doing the impossible for the first time,_ though, said a hopeful voice within Harry. He had escaped Azkaban with no help. No one had done that before, right?  
  
_But it would not be the first time the enemy tried to feed you false information or false hope_, snapped the mean voice at the back of Harry's mind. Yes, there was always the possibility that they were trying to lure him into danger or even death by imposing his godfather. Wormtail would know how Sirius' animagus form look exactly like. If Voldemort really wanted to finish him off, he would know better than to send only three Death Eaters after him. However, if his purpose were to gain Harry's trust and then use it against Harry or anyone else in the Order, it would make sense to send a few Death Eaters to pose an attack and let the dog 'save' him.  
  
Harry's mind was torn between his deepest desire to see Sirius alive and his worry that he would endanger the others by trusting lightly. He was frustrated at Sirius – if it really were him, why did he wait for two weeks and let Harry's heart bled to half death before turning up? Why did he turn away from him even after revealing himself? What was he trying to hide from Remus perhaps?  
  
Harry's attention was not roused by Uncle Vernon's loud curse when he slipped hot soup onto his own lap, nor had it wavered as the lightning bolt scar on his forehead ached painfully and his inside twitched irritably due to a happiness that was not his. But it turned from its tangled thoughts and focused as a twig outside the window on the garden ground was snapped by something. Even the thick brick wall of the house failed to dampen the gaze of the presence just outside the window and the feeling sent something skin to an electric shock up Harry's spine.  
  
Harry dropped his fork and it collided with the china plate with an audible clunk. At the same time, he stood up abruptly so that the chair fell and crushed against the floor. Oblivious to the horrified stare the three Dursleys threw him, Harry made his way towards the front door, his breathed ragged, his thought jammed. His heart was beating violently against his ribs as he shakily laid his hand on the doorknob of the polished door. Harry couldn't care less about the consequence if the dog outside had been an imposter. All he knew was that he need to see him again, to feel his soft fur against his palm and slip it through his fingers, and to look into his pale blue eyes. Yes, the feeling of the presence was unmistakably Sirius. Harry knew he could tell whether it really was Sirius the moment he looked into his eyes. But he didn't care if it was real or not. He had to see him again, even if it would mean _death_.  
  
Harry swung the front door wide open. He stepped over the threshold.  
  
He turned to the direction of the shrub of plant he himself had lain under last summer. What greeted him was the sight of the shabby black dog that never left his mind once ever since the moment its human form fell through that veil. Harry's heart leapt furiously.  
  
Then their eyes met.  
  
There left no doubt that it could only be Sirius and no other. 

.

.  
  
Later Harry had no recollection of how Sirius and he had gotten back into the house. All he remembered was the feeling of soft fur around his arms and floods of tears. Then in a tangle of limbs, he and Padfoot somehow got themselves up the stairs (Or was it Padfoot who dragged him up?). Then Harry remembered throwing his arms around Padfoot's neck once again and for the first time since the horrible moment at the Department of Mysteries, Harry sobbed into the dark fur of his godfather. Padfoot remained still in Harry's embrace and groaned softly. He licked Harry's face with his warm tongue to try to clean up all the relentless tears.  
  
It seemed forever until Harry had sobbed all his strength out and loosened his death grip on Padfoot's neck. He pulled himself apart and stared at the welcoming sight before him.  
  
"Sirius?" Harry croaked hoarsely.  
  
Padfoot gave a soft bark and licked Harry's face even more furiously.  
  
"Sirius? Is it – is it really you?"  
  
Padfoot nodded his hairy head and barked in an affirmative way. Tears spilt down Harry's cheek again and relief coursed through Harry's body. The hope germinated last night explored in Harry's chest. Harry didn't know such enormous relief and happiness were possible. All he could do was to drink in every detail in Padfoot's form and imprint it into his blessed mind. Tears of happiness kept rolling down. But the sadness in Padfoot's eyes was evident.  
  
"Do you have any idea how worried I have been?" Said Harry shakily. Padfoot nodded his head again. "Why didn't you tell me you are ok earlier? How did you get away from the veil? Everyone has been telling me you are gone . . . they said that you were dead. Dead! Apparently you aren't, are you? And I cannot tell you how sorry I was. " Harry kept talking. There was so much to tell. Now Harry had got the chance, he couldn't let it escape. "I am really sorry that I fell into his trap and led my friends and you into danger. I am really sorry! I don't deserve forgiveness. " Padfoot rubbed Harry's chest gently with his head in an attempt to soothe Harry's raging emotion. "Sirius, will you forgive me? Sirius?"  
  
But Sirius uttered no words of comfort.  
  
"Sirius? Are you ok? It is safe to transform here. I will close the door. " Harry lifted himself up and rushed to close and lock his bedroom door. He turned around. Still Sirius sat motionless on the floor in his animagus form and looked intently at the floor. Something was not quite right about the sudden stiffness in his composure.  
  
Harry approached Sirius slowly. "Sirius?" Still no response. Sirius indicated no signs of wanting to transform back to his human form.  
  
Harry knelt down before Sirius. "What are you -" Sirius tilted his head and met Harry's confused gaze steadily. "Why don't you transform?"  
  
Sirius shook his head.  
  
"It's not safe here?"  
  
Sirius shook his head again.  
  
"You don't want to transform?" There was a definite note of panic in Harry's voice.  
  
Still, Sirius shook his head.  
  
"You – you can't - ?"  
  
The dog nodded his gigantic head.

...........................................................................................................

Please review! Do give me suggestions.


	4. Alive, but forever stuck?

Disclaimer: harry potter will never ever be mine  
  
. . AN: the fourth chapter! In which somehow Harry and Padfoot manage to talk! (hope it doesn't seem too strange...)

A few replies to my wonderful reviewers:

Iris Flamewing: yes, I know giving him permission is a bit forced, but now we wouldn't want harry getting a trial again because he broke the law, do we? and somehow Dumbledore has his reasons e.g. harry really need to be able to defend himself, etc...

serrebi  : yes, it is supposed to be going all the way into sixth year, I have some ideas about what is going to happen, but I don't know if I can do it... and still a long way before the summer ends for harry...

linadw: yes, OWLs result should be coming, but I have no idea what it should be like for him got to really think about it...

Kan : thanks for pointing out that! The English in the first two chapters are ok, because they are 'beta'-ed. But not the third and this chapter...  
  
Also , huge thanks to all who reviewed!  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

.  
  
Chapter 4 Alive, But Forever Stuck?  
  
The dog nodded his gigantic head, his mouth split into what looked like a sarcastic grin or grimace. Harry imagined if Sirius could speak, he could have barked "Bingo, Harry! " in his infamous bitter tone.  
  
"Why? Are you hungry? You must be very tired and you don't have the strength to transform, right?" Harry bit his lips and stood up. Sirius, on the other hand, just sat still and fixed Harry with his pale blue eyes full of unspoken dejection. Harry ignored this and paced along the length of the room. He had got to keep moving and keep talking. "Are you injured? I am sure madam Pomfrey will be able to fix that in a matter of seconds. " Harry looked at anything except Sirius' eyes and kept racking his brain and speaking whatever he could think of to deny it.  
  
"I am sure you will be able to transform soon. It happens sometimes, right? Sometimes you mess up with spells or potions, but you will eventually be able to fix it, right? Hermione must know of something about animagus transformation, she will come up with sensible plans. She will. Or Dumbledore. Yes, he knows everything. He - " Something tucked at Harry's trousers and stopped him mid-sentence. He looked down and found himself under the scolding and yet sympathizing scrutiny of the large black dog. Harry's throat constricted; he collapsed onto the floor. He had to keep talking.  
  
"He will know what to do, Sirius. And what about the spell you used to force Wormtail to reveal his human form? We can ask professor Mcgonagol too! She is an animagus, and she must know what to do - "  
  
Sirius interrupted him with a warning bark, which then turned to a low growl. 'Stop it!' Harry could tell from the disproving yet pitying gaze what Sirius must be trying to say. 'There is nothing you can do about this.'  
  
Harry dropped his head into his palms and scowled his eyes up. How could this happen? He knew he shouldn't complain now that Sirius was alive, even if he was in his dog form, even if Harry would never hear his voice or talk with him ever again. But how could this be so cruel? Sirius escaped from the prison of Death only to be thrown into the physical prison of his dog form. How could this be so unfair?  
  
"I am sorry. I am really sorry! " Chanted Harry as his hands tried vainly to stop the welling tears. "I shouldn't have led you into danger! I should be happy now that you are back. I am very thankful that you are back. I am . . . But how could it be so unfair? I am sorry!" Harry could feel Padfoot's snout nuzzled his hair. Once more, Harry buried his head into the warm and supple fur. The fresh smell of soil and grass on his fur soothed Harry's hysterical nerve. After a moment of silent sobbing, Harry finally got a grip on himself. He realized that he had broken into pieces in front of his godfather twice since their union. He should be ashamed of himself.  
  
"I really don't mean to be so hysterical. Sorry . . ." Harry lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes furiously with the back of his hand. Sirius just stepped back and gave Harry a stern yet indulgent don't-be-silly look. Harry couldn't help but laughed at Sirius pitiful pretence at seriousness. Sirius wagged his tail eagerly and bent his head. Harry took the hint and ruffled his long black hair, his mind once again grateful that Sirius was back. Yes, grateful he should be.  
  
As an attempt to distract his distressed mind, Harry's eyes swept over the small and darkened bedroom. Spell books, parchment, quills were lying all over the place, and at one side of the wall Dudley's broken possessions littered the shelf; there were a wrecked camera, a headless teddy bear that was almost as old as Harry, a broken computer set with its dusty keyboard lying innocently on top of it . . .  
  
An idea flashed across Harry's mind. He uttered a small exclaim of excitement and startled Sirius, who was crouching lazily on the floor studying Harry.  
  
"Sirius!" Harry half crawled and half ran to his desk and grabbed several pieces of parchment, a bottle of ink and a quill, then rushed back to Sirius's side. "I have got an idea!" Sirius inclined his head and kept staring at his all of a sudden excited godson with puzzlement.  
  
"You cannot speak, right?" Harry could help but held the impression that Sirius would regard him as insane now. "Have you ever used a type writer? Or keyboard of a computer?" Sirius predictably shook his head, having no idea what Harry was getting at.  
  
"Well, it doesn't matter. What we will do is this. " Said Harry as he unscrewed the bottle of ink and dipped the tip of the quill into the ink. He sat crossed-legged on the floor and spread the parchment on the floor between Sirius and himself. He bent and kept writing until twenty-six large and slightly screwed up letters from 'A' to 'Z ' appeared on the parchment. He turned the parchment around so that it lay in front of Sirius. Then Harry straightened up and looked at Sirius expectantly.  
  
Sirius stared a bit incredulously from Harry to the parchment, then back to Harry. He threw him a look that meant 'Well?'  
  
"Come on, Sirius! I didn't quite believe it when Remus told me you were thick. Just press on the letters of the words you want to speak and I will take note of it! "  
  
Sirius imitated a hurt expression when he was being called 'thick', but nevertheless he raised his big and hairy paw and started to touch the letters on the parchment and paused briefly between separate words. Harry thought idly for a moment that the sight of a gigantic dog so speedily touching a parchment must look bizarre to outsiders, but then caught himself and scribbled down the letters on another parchment and read it aloud after Sirius stopped his moment.  
  
"_It is a brilliant idea."_ Harry read and frowned. "Don't waste your words on such nonsense, Sirius!"  
  
Harry was under the impression that Sirius shrugged, but he was not sure if such a gesture was possible for a dog. He started scribbling again as Sirius pointed across the parchment.  
  
"_I am sorry to have you worried. I promise I will not leave you ever again_. " Harry read, a warm sensation spreading from his chest throughout his whole body. Sirius had never made such a promise before, and it was almost too much for Harry to hope.  
  
"How come you survived?" asked Harry as an attempt to stop the pickling at the end of his eyes.  
  
Once again, Sirius started his progress of paw across the letters. His moment was so fast that Harry had a hard time catching all the words he indicated. Harry squinted his eyes tiredly for several minutes before Sirius stopped his moment.  
  
"_Frankly, I don't know exactly why I survived. I could only guess. When I realized I was hit by a green curse, I knew it was the end – it was so ridiculous. I just couldn't believe and I couldn't accept; yet my brain was so horribly blank as I fell._ "  
  
"So, how come you - " Harry meant to ask him how come he survived, but was cut off as Sirius sent his paw flying across the parchment. Harry picked up his quill again.  
  
"_Hasn't anyone told you that Sirius Black is far from dull-witted, Harry? Well, I can be a bit thick sometimes, as Remus had no doubt told you so. Anyway, truth to be told, it was you who saved me, Harry. Pain spread from my chest to my whole body within second after the curse hit me, and my conscious was being stretched and I could feel my soul being violently snatched and almost detached from my body. But then you yelled for me. Your shout held back my consciousness. And then I knew I just couldn't leave you alone like this. I called upon the part that was 'dog' inside of me and drew it to the surface and my human consciousness retreated inside, so what damage done was to the 'dog'. At the same time I called upon the 'dog', I fell through the veil. That particular archway was created by the Unspeakables years ago when they so arrogantly thought they could study and understand Death, or more precisely human death. They attempted to build a portal between the World of Death and the World of Life. By some accidents or miracles, they created a portal, but after none of the several Unspeakables who had went in the portal to 'explore' had come back, the fools knew they had touched upon something they couldn't even dream to understand.  
_  
"_So why did I survive and escape, you surely want to ask. It is my guess that my soul had then been so deeply buried within the layers of defenses and disguises put up by the 'dog ' that even the forces of Death in the passage leading up to the World of Death beyond that veil failed to seize my soul out of my body. If I hadn't been an animagus, my soul would have irrevocably been snatched and swallowed down the passage._ "  
  
Sirius stopped for a moment so that there was time for Harry to digest the information. After a moment of contemplation, Harry felt he got the general idea – Sirius had once again done the impossible for him – but an important part was missing. "So that's how you survived? But then how come you cannot - "  
  
Sirius started pointing at the letters again as if he perfectly knew what Harry meant to ask. "_Falling through the passage between life and death was no laughing matter. Although my soul was hidden and protected, the forces at work there still could detect my presence within the dog's physical boundary. They tried to break through the defense, and in turn I had to bury myself even deeper within the body of the 'dog'. The thought of you sustained my will at returning to the living world. I was eventually able to surround my soul with a concrete barrier against the Forces in the passage. It took me hours after hours of struggle before I could escape the claws of Death long enough to emerge from the other end of the archway. However, by then the barrier around my soul was too strong. You could imagine my horror when I found out that my human self was hidden so well inside my dog self that it was trapped within. But then I asked myself, 'I escaped, didn't I? What I have got to complain?' Soon the shock that I can no longer transform back to my human self evaporated as I later realized weeks had transpired during my struggle within the archway and that you must be near to pieces then. So I immediately made my way towards you_. "  
  
Harry's chest swelled with gratefulness towards what Sirius had done for him. He simply couldn't contain himself and embraced Sirius again. "I am so grateful that you are alive." Said Harry as he released Sirius.  
  
"_So am I_ " Sirius said through the parchment.  
  
"I will not let you get out of my sight ever again." And one day I will repay what you have done for me, added Harry silently to himself.  
  
"_Neither will I._"

* * *

It had been months since Voldemort had been in such a good mood. No one except himself felt the ill satisfaction, as he knew what he yielded for so long was finally within his grasp. From his throne, he surveyed his supporters with their hooded heads bowed, all obediently and fearfully awaiting his words. His gaze rested on the short figure standing in the foremost of his servants. The man fidgeted under his gaze.  
  
"Wormtail." In an instant, Wormtail fell and knelt onto the ground as if being kicked from behind, his hood fell in the process revealing the man's bald head and his panic-stricken eyes. "Yes, my Lord? " His pitiful voice quivered.  
  
"You finally grace your presence upon us after such a long absence from our midst. I am sure all of you here missed Wormtail terribly, didn't you?"  
  
The taunting laughter of the Death Eaters drowned Wormtail. He fidgeted even more. Of course no one else except Voldemort had been aware of where Wormtail had been for the previous year and what had he been up to.  
  
Voldemort lazily lifted his wand and pointed it at the filthy rat. "Crucio."  
  
Wormtail screamed, and Voldemort laughed. Torture doubtlessly gave Voldemort amusement and satisfaction. However, this time he was laughing because of the indescribable delight he felt for the near fulfillment of his long time anticipation.  
  
Again, Voldemort lowered his wand as if he had only performed a levitating charm instead of an Unforgivable. "This is the punishment for keeping me waiting for so long." Voldemort smirked in satisfaction as Wormtail kept rolling and squirming on the cold stone floor even after the curse was lifted. Finally he rolled back to his kneeling position. "I'm sorry, Master, I'm so sorry . . ." He moaned with an agony-filled voice.  
  
"Lift your head. " Voldemort ordered, and Wormtail fearfully lifted his head to meet Voldemort's gaze. Voldemort concentrated and easily forced entrance upon Wormtail's mind.  
  
Pieces of Wormtail's memory flashed before Voldemort's mind eyes – a rat running desperately through darkness and the terrible howls of foully and violent creatures, countless failures before managing an opening, a long dark underground passage, the maze of long dark corridors and staircases, and finally, a harsh, hoarse voice, then redness everywhere. . .  
  
Voldemort stopped the invasion into Wormtail's mind. A new emotion now flared up so powerfully inside of Voldemort that the air inside the room was saturated with it – rage. The hand that was holding the wand originally was then gripping it with brutal force.  
  
"Crucio!" Voldemort screamed in rage, and another screamed in pain.


	5. Objectives

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine  
  
AN: Chapter 5! Not really much to say about this chapter, just read for yourselves and see!  
  
Answers to some of the reviews:  
  
Elvlen-princess9744: you will know soon enough if Sirius is going to Hogwarts with Harry. I am not sure what u mean about Harry having a backbone or not... of course he does! But the problem here is that Harry is having a reunion with someone he thought dead, so he might be a little bit unstable and emotional right now... but he will return to his usual self soon!  
  
elanastar : Well, truth to be told, I am not yet quite sure how he is going to turn back to his human self,... but your review surely did give me some thought.... But even if(?) he gets to return to his human form, it won't happen anytime soon...  
  
HoshiHikari4ever: what Sirius/padfoot is doing is very similar to typing. He was pointing out to characters written on a paper and Harry would note them down. This is just so that they can communicate  
  
krenya-alenak: you don't have to be sorry. I am not so sure if I want to find another person to edit my fanfic right now... thanks for offering, anyway...  
  
emikae : yes, the ending was quite significant. Just wait and see  
  
Huge thanks to all who reviewed! The reviews are keeping me going.

* * *

Chapter 5 Objectives  
  
Harry glanced at Uncle Vernon behind fringes of unruly dark hair. Uncle Vernon had slumped back into his chair, his hand patting his satisfied belly and his expression relaxed. Another glance at the other direction, Harry saw that Aunt Petunia was watching Dudley, who was digging into his plate with haste as if someone was going to snatch his plate away from him, with an indulgent smile on her horse-like face. She was in a good mood. Harry looked down at his almost empty soup bowl and the barely touched plate of steaming stew. He might as well try his luck. Harry made up his mind and put down his spoon. It was now or never.  
  
"Uncle Vernon?" Harry put on his most inconspicuous and polite expression. All the Dursley turned to look at him, but Harry's heart leapt in joy because the atmosphere of contentment and laziness after a meal still hung.  
  
"What's it, boy?" Asked Uncle Vernon absent-mindedly, his eyes turned to the television screen for the evening news. Aunt Petunia and Dudley had also lost their interest in him and resumed their original activities.  
  
"May I take the food up to my bedroom? I will come back down to wash the dishes," Harry blurted without pause.  
  
Just as Harry had hoped, Uncle Vernon grunted a response without really registering what Harry had said. Harry picked up the plate of stew and sprinted upstairs before any of them realize what he was doing and question him.  
  
Harry hopped down on his bed, which gave an audible sound of protest at being so rudely treated. Harry watched with his elbows on his knees and his face supported by his hands as Sirius, in his dog form, savored the plate of stew Harry had brought up. His heart was filled with guilt as he noticed how bony Sirius's dog body was and how visible were the ribs that seemed to threaten to protrude out of his skin. But then Harry remembered his own body was just as deprived of fats as Padfoot's did. He gave a silent praise to whatever deities out there that Dudley's diet had ended a long time ago and they were quite generous about the amount of food they now gave Harry. Harry mused that this unexpected generosity might have something to do with the threat the Dursleys had received back at the train station.  
  
After the tearful reunion last night, both Sirius and Harry had been exhausted. They had agreed they had done enough "talking" and rest should be in place. Sirius had just curled up on the floor besides Harry's bed for less than ten seconds before falling into an entrenched sleep. Harry, on the other hand, lay in his bed for hours before sleep overcome his consciousness. Harry had been too excited. Harry couldn't restrain himself from rousing from the bed just to check if Sirius was still sleeping beside his bed every other minute. Eventually he drifted off, but he only woke till well after noon next day.  
  
Harry had expected to be bombarded with questions about Sirius when he went downstairs to see if he could sneak food for the still slumbering Sirius.  
  
"What was it that you brought in last night?" Aunt Petunia, who was absorbed in her favourite magazine that provided excellent topics for gossip, had asked. Harry had been surprised at her indifference – normally the sight of a large and filthy black dog inside her spotless house would have given Aunt Petunia heart attack. Perhaps the Dursleys hadn't seen clearly when Harry and Sirius got back inside the house the night before. Harry had given vague answer like "It was an owl" and quickly excused himself. 

.

.  
  
A bark snapped Harry out of his thought. Harry realized Sirius had already finished his dinner and was fixing him with an expectant gaze. Harry got off the bed and sat next to Sirius on the floor. Sirius crouched and crawled at something under Harry's bed, and then pulled out the parchment they had used last night to communicate. Sirius gave Harry an eager look and wagged his tail.  
  
Harry took out his quill and blank parchment. He had got a number of questions unanswered and was quite keen to have them answered. But Sirius beat him to it. Harry watched with rapt attention as Sirius's paw flew across the letters.  
  
"_How has your summer been?_ " He asked.  
  
"'Dreadful' and 'empty 'can pretty much sum it up. What do you expect I could have been with you gone? Don't remind me of that period ever again! "  
  
Sirius offered Harry his paw as a gesture of peace. Harry signed and took his paw in his hand. It felt warm and gentle despite its appearance. Sirius withdrew his paw and moved it towards the parchment.  
  
"_Tell me about what drove you onto the street that night."_ He indicated with his paw.  
  
"I -" the feeling of guilt at blowing up at Remus's face was still flesh in Harry's mind. "I had a row with Remus." As Harry had guessed, Sirius was giving him an incredulous look. "Well, Remus came here to check on me. He attempted to make me listen to reason, but I was frustrated by your, well, absence, so I blew up at his face. "  
  
"_And? Remus surely hadn't lost his temper with you?_ " Sirius asked with what Harry thought looked suspiciously like an interested glint in his pale blue eyes.  
  
"Not really, I suppose not . . ."  
  
"_You should really be thankful that you hadn't. Anyway, go on_."  
  
"I was consumed by anger and I didn't want to stay in the house, so I ran away. Remus had tried to stop me, but you see, I was very angry, so . . . Anyway, I got onto the street and wandered for a while. Then I felt your presence. Before I knew what was happening, three Death Eaters cornered me. The rest you surely know. "  
  
Sirius had been pacing the room for a while when Harry stopped. Sirius tilted his head to peer at the night sky before pacing back to where the parchment lay.  
  
"_You surely are aware of the seriousness of this incident? Death Eaters appeared so close to this house_. "  
  
"I know. Remus told me Professor Dumbledore had been worried about this also. But the fact that they still haven't moved me out of this house surely meant the Order doesn't think that I am in immediate danger, right? " Harry studied Sirius's expression after he finished. It was even harder than usual to discern what was on Sirius's mind now that he was stuck as a dog. Harry could just get a glimpse at the hurricane of thoughts beneath Sirius's eyes as Sirius glanced at Harry for a moment before he concentrated his gaze on the parchment. Harry picked his quill and took note again.  
  
"_You may not be in immediate danger. But it was most strange that you were attacked by three Death Eaters. If Voldemort had meant to kill you, he would have sent a troop here instead of three. Unless he knew he had no means of breaking through the protection set up by Dumbledore around this house. The three Death Eaters might be spying and reporting to Voldemort about what's happening here. Or they might not have been sent by Voldemort at all. No matter what, they got lucky – you unexpectedly and foolishly -_ " Harry flinched at Sirius's choice of words, but he couldn't deny he was foolish by running out, "-_got out of the house and out of protection, so they decided to try their luck._ " Sirius fixed Harry with a stern gaze as Harry read his words.  
  
"_What was you thinking when you ran away? You were not trying to kill yourself, were you?_ "  
  
Harry could imagine the accusing tone Sirius could have been using. He couldn't meet Sirius's eyes. He could by no means admit to Sirius that he was indeed trying to end his life by running down the street. "I was not. I was just . . . angry." His hands fidgeted and twisted in his laps. Sirius nudged Harry's arm gently with his head so as to get his attention back.  
  
"_Has last year's experience taught you nothing, Harry? Had the consequence of acting on your impulse and anger taught you nothing? I knew how it felt to be a frustrated teenager. I had been one, and I had not truly grown out of it, if truth to be told. Last year had been filled with frustration and anger for you and me, but not only we were suffering. Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Remus, and even Dumbledore, had a tough year too_."  
  
Sirius had his paw placed soothingly at Harry's arm as Harry read over his words. Then Sirius continued. "_You, and not to mention I, should really learn to control the anger. A war is coming, no matter you want it or not, and we should better be prepared emotionally and physically. There is no guarantee that our side will win in the end. Even if we do, we will not come out unscratched. But what we have got to do is to try everything in our power to fight it. Do you understand?"_  
  
Harry nodded gravely and attempted a weak smile to Sirius. Harry was reminded of the prophecy and the unwanted destiny that was imposed upon his shoulders even before he had been born. But he was overcome by a calmness that he hadn't experienced ever since Dumbledore told him the prophecy. Perhaps this was what acceptance felt like.  
  
"_We will be prepared this time, Harry. We should not allow ourselves to be caught off guard again_."  
  
"How? What will we do from now on? Are we going to tell anyone about you?"  
  
"_You are asking the right questions. This is very important, you know. Anyway, no one besides you should know that I am still alive. Not Ron, not Hermione, not Remus, not even Dumbledore._ "  
  
"That's why you ran away that night when Remus came? Why?"  
  
"_I would be a great advantage to you now that everyone including Voldemort thinks I'm dead and out of the picture. Although I cannot use magic in my animagus form, I can still give any offending Death Eaters a good bite. Also I can be a source of information to you no one else is aware of._"  
  
Not to mention that everyone will think I am still grieving over your "death" and underestimate me, added Harry to himself. "But we can surely tell Ron, Hermione, Remus and Dumbledore this. Even if we don't tell them they are bound to find out sooner or later. "  
  
"_Come on, Harry, the fewer people know about my survival, the better it will be for us and for them. They might not willingly betray you, but there are ways of extracting information from a person's mind. Do you want to place your friends in danger by telling them about me? And there is no telling whether the persons around you are what they seem to be – even if they are your best friends."_  
  
Harry had never thought it possible that Ron or Hermione would betray him. He knew those two were no Wormtail, but he guessed Sirius was right in not telling them. They were in enough danger by merely being his friends already. But Harry got a feeling that Sirius was revenging Dumbledore not letting him out the previous year by plotting schemes behind his back. Harry knew he would want to.  
  
"_I understand my presence will not forever be kept a secret, but I intend to keep it secret for as long as we can. For one thing, I will not stay in the same room with Albus Dumbledore or Alastor Moody._ "  
  
"Wait," Harry grasped Sirius's paw before Sirius could start again. "What about the three Death Eaters? They have seen you and they knew about your animagus form! They surely would have told Voldemort about you being alive by now! "  
  
Strangely, Sirius waved his paw in a dismissive fashion before turning it to the parchment. "_Let's just hope that those three are stray Death Eaters and they had not acted upon Voldemort's order. They are not my major concerns now. What we have to do is to get you and myself to 12 Grimmauld Place as soon as we can._ "  
  
Harry was puzzled. Harry didn't understand why Sirius had just waved off his question, but he knew Sirius must have his own reasons. But going to Grimmauld Place? Was he trying to expose himself? Sirius started responding before Harry voiced his question.  
  
"_What do you think I have done last year? Eat, drink and sleep? I did something a little more constructive than that. I have read more books last year than I have read the rest of my life. You will be amazed by the sort of information you can dig up from the dusty volumes in the Black family library. I have done a little research on methods of concealment in the library so that I might convince Dumbledore to let me out, but I never got the chance. Also there are other stuff that I have looked up which may be useful, including Occlumency. I am sure you agree that you will have to work extra hard this year on Occlumency?"_  
  
"I know I must stop Voldemort from using me again, but sometimes I do get useful information through our connection . . ."  
  
"_I know, Harry. That's why you have to master Occlumency. Wait till you see my notes on Occlumency, okay? All we have got to do is to get to the Headquarter, and I will be able to retrieve them. "_  
  
"How do we get into the Headquarter without anyone noticing a large black dog at my heel then?"  
  
"_Have you learnt the disillusion charm?"_  
  
Harry shook his head.  
  
"_Then the invisibility cloak will suffice for the moment being."_  
  
"But there are bound to be enchantments and spells inside the Headquarter to detect such thing!"  
  
"_Of course there are. Harry, who knows about the enchantments and spells in Grimmauld Place better than I do?"_ Sirius looked up at Harry expectantly.  
  
"No one."  
  
"_Exactly. My father and my ancestors set up most of the defensive and detection spells there. I helped when the Order set up their own defensive spells. I know what I am doing. The defense mechanism there will detect my presence, but it will not raise alarm because I am a member of the Order. We only have to make sure that Moody or Dumbledore isn't at the Headquarter during our visit. _"  
  
Harry looked up at the clock. It was past midnight. "What do we do after we got you - your notes?" Harry tried in vain to stifle his yawn.  
  
"_What we do the first thing tomorrow is to contact Remus to arrange a visit to Headquarter. What we do now is to get you on the bed. You need your rest_."  
  
Harry was too tired to argue. He washed up and bid goodnight to Sirius, then switched off the bedside lamp and the room was immersed in darkness. From the rhythmic breathing, Harry knew Sirius was fast asleep. Harry, on the other hand, stayed awake for long because his head was still jammed with information. After staring at the ceiling idly for more than an hour, his eyelids finally began to drop.

.

.  
  
_Harry got a familiar sensation of being pulled at the navel by a hook. Colours and lights rotated in a whirlwind around him, and a wave of nausea washed over Harry. The sensation brought up memories Harry would rather forgot. Harry looked down, and saw that both his hands were glued to something spherical – the gold head of a statue of wizard Harry had seen before . . .  
  
Harry's feet collided with the ground with a solid thud. Harry watched the head he had been holding fell to the ground and rolled away until it was stopped by a piece of rectangular stone protruding from the soil. It was an age-old tombstone. With a sense of utmost forbiddance, Harry looked up.  
  
Harry was standing in the middle of a graveyard. An eerie and uneven light fell from the half-full moon in the sky as layers of clouds drifted across and occasionally obscured it from sight. Only the faint silhouettes of rows upon rows of tombstones covered with flaccid moss and ferns were visible in the faint light. The area was bereft of sound of bugs or owls. Even rustle of leaves from the nearby ominous wood was absent. The air hung heavily around Harry and the silence was almost to the suffocating point. Even it was a summer night, there was a coldness so profound that Harry was frozen to the bone. Harry's shaky legs inched towards the tombstone where the head of the statue lay. Engraved upon the corroded stone, were the words "Tom Marvolo Riddle".  
  
A piercing human scream broke Harry out of his trance. Harry's spine shook as a familiar high-pitched laughter mingled with the anguish-filled scream. The scream and the blood-curdling laughter stopped. Harry whipped his body around.  
  
There lying on the ground was a man with long black hair and his robe so ragged and bloodied that it barely hung on the man's thin frame. Looming right over him was a tall man with his back facing Harry. His robe was so long that the hem spread over a long way from his feet. The tall man turned, and white-hot pain erupted in Harry's scar. But Harry was oblivious to his blinding pain or the Dark Lord watching him as the man lying on the ground groaned and tried to support his bloodied body up with shaky arms. The face caught moonlight and the features of Sirius Black were visible to Harry.  
  
Harry longed to scream. Oh, how he wanted to run and push Voldemort aside so that he could reach Sirius! He had to save Sirius this time! But his feet were glued to the ground.  
  
"Harry. How nice to meet you here again." Voldemort was already standing in front of Harry and was towering over his short body. His body blocked Harry's sight of Sirius. Harry wanted to stretch his neck so that he could look around Voldemort, but he couldn't move the slightest bit.  
  
"Get out of my way!" Harry screamed in frustration. Ignoring the blinding pain in his forehead, he glared at Voldemort straight in the eyes.  
  
"No one has ever dared to look at me in such an indecorous way." Voldemort spat. He raised his white bony hand and slapped Harry's face with a force so great that Harry was thrown to the ground.  
  
"I made a mistake by trying to kill you fifteen years ago. I will make no other." Harry was oblivious to the drawling and bitter tone above him. He was oblivious to the stinging pain in his slapped chin. All he was aware was the sight of his godfather that was just visible from his position on the ground.  
  
"Harry, tell me what's so special about you. If you want your godfather back, tell me what kind of extraordinary power you possess."  
  
Harry wanted to reach out for his godfather. He wanted to yell Sirius's name so that his eyes could just turn to him, his godson. But his gaze was mercilessly torn away from his godfather. Harry could feel Voldemort's death grip on his jaw and Voldemort's blood red eyes all of a sudden filled Harry's vision.  
  
"Get – out – of – my – way!" Harry hissed, his teeth gritted so hard together that they were cracking.  
  
"You want your godfather back, don't you? I can help you."  
  
"I won't buy your pitiful lie!"  
  
"No one but me is willing to bring him back. You cannot achieve this by yourself and Dumbledore will not help you."  
  
"You are lying!"  
  
"Harry, have you not seen it? The muggle-loving fool is only using you. He wouldn't tell you about the prophecy when it would have saved your godfather; he only pretends to care about you. He only wants your power. "  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
"It was Dumbledore who pushed your godfather to death, Harry."  
  
"Just get out of my way." Harry moaned. Voldemort was trying to fool him into believing lies. He must be, because Dumbledore cared about Harry's well being, not his power. But did he?  
  
"Harry, tell me your power. I will fulfill your dream. I will grant you and your godfather a new life." Voldemort's lips curled in triumph.  
  
Harry didn't want to think. He just wanted to get to his godfather. He only wanted Sirius back.  
  
"Just say 'yes', Harry. Tell me. "  
  
Something about all these was not quite right. Distantly Harry heard a bark. A thought sparked – Sirius had not been gone from him. He had conquered death just to reunite with Harry. How could he have forgotten!  
  
"NO! YOU ARE LYING!" Harry screamed. Pain flared up in his scar.  
  
"No?" The anger in Voldemort's voice was blatant. He released his death grip on Harry's jaw and stood up.  
  
Green light flooded Harry's vision. When he could see again, Harry was face to face with Sirius's vacant blue eyes.  
  
"NOOOOO!"  
_

.

.  
Harry's eyes shoot open. At the same time, his body jerked violently and he struggled to sit up. However, there was a restraining and choking weight on his chest. Harry could only feel his shoulders being pinned onto the bed by iron grips. Harry tried in vain to throw the suffocating weight off his chest.  
  
"Get off me!" Harry managed to squeeze the words out amid pained gasps of breath and the buzzing and dizzying sound in his skull. He kept swinging his fists at the offending furry object on top of him and threw his weight against the restraining force. Harry's head was blazing with agony from his scar and all he wanted was to gain invaluable oxygen into his collapsing lung and his failing brain.  
  
Something cool and wet licked his forehead and his cheek. Harry stopped struggling, his dilated and unfocused eyes finding focus. With another soothing lick and a gentle bark, the dog atop of Harry stepped aside. Harry panted and brought up his hands to wipe the cool sweat off his forehead. The moment his eyelids were closed out of exhaustion, flashes of green filled his vision. Harry gasped and snapped his eyes open, his heart racing once again. Harry fumbled on the tangle of bed sheet as if trying to find something, and then something hairy nudged his ribs with a light brush. Harry hurriedly threw his hands around Sirius's neck.  
  
Harry only released his godfather after his heartbeat had resumed its original rhythm. His mind was cleared up a bit, and he felt the urge to talk nonstop again. "Sirius," Harry put his hand behind Sirius ear to assure himself that his godfather was really there sitting with him. "I was at the graveyard. It was Voldemort. He . . . he got you again. I thought you were dead, I didn't remember you weren't. He ordered me to tell him my power. He said he would," a lump rose in his throat, "bring you back if I tell him. He said Dumbledore wouldn't have helped me. I didn't believe him. I didn't . . . "  
  
Sirius studied Harry with his head inclined. He sat straight up and licked Harry's left chin with its cool tongue. Only then was Harry aware that it had been stinging madly. With unsteady footing, Harry hopped off his bed and inched towards his wardrobe with Sirius trotting close behind him. His hand held in mid air for a moment before grabbing the wardrobe door, swinging it open and looking into the mirror that was hung on its back. Harry tilted his head so that his left chin caught the faint moonlight through the window. A red and ugly mark with the unmistakable shape of a hand stood lividly out of Harry's pale and smooth face. Harry threw himself down onto the floor with his fists clenched at his side. He hit the floor again and again with his fists. He just wanted to screw up his face and cry himself silly. But he could not allow himself to act like a child. He was furious at himself – he had once again fallen under the manipulation of Voldemort. He had not try to fight back; he was close to giving in to Voldemort back there. Why couldn't he be stronger?  
  
Sirius had sat still as a statue besides Harry until his raging emotion subdued. He licked at the mark on Harry's face as Harry attempted to get himself together. He trotted away and trotted back with the parchment in his mouth. Harry felt guilty. He didn't want to fail anyone, least of all Sirius, again. Under the concerned gaze of Sirius, Harry stood up and switched on his bedside lamp. He snatched a pen and a notebook from his table and sat down besides Sirius.  
  
"_Harry, don't you dare to blame yourself about this. It is my promise that I will help you get through this. Together we will find a way to master Occlumency._ "  
  
Harry nodded with difficulty at Sirius's words.  
  
"_And don't you ever believe even one word from Voldemort. The things he said about Dumbledore were rubbish. The old headmaster is fallible, no matter how much we all want him to be a saint. Ask yourself this: for all Dumbledore has done for you, do you think that he did it purely out of his lust for power? Do you believe for a second that Dumbledore wants more power than he has now?"_  
  
Harry shook his head. There could be no other answers. Harry felt that he was seeing clearly for the first time after the nightmare. The room seemed less gloomy. Harry and Sirius sat in silence, each deep in his own thought. Sirius pointed to the parchment again.  
  
"_Harry, I want to tell you something. When I was falling through the veil and between the pathway between life and death, I saw James_. "  
  
Harry stared at Sirius with his eyes wide open.  
  
"_Just when I was closest to the other side, I saw him standing there, his body luminous against the bottomless black portal behind him, his eyes wide and his mouth open and shut again and again. I couldn't hear a thing from him, but I knew he was telling me off. He wanted me to come back to you. He had his right hand clenched in a fist and held it close to his heart. The gesture represented 'go home' among us. Harry, I think I know what James really mean now. You should go home._ "  
  
Harry stared at the notebook on his hand and strained his eyes to read the words over again. He was not sure if he had understood correctly. Was Sirius joking? Harry looked up and his gaze locked with the luminous blue eyes of Sirius.  
  
"I should go home?"  
  
Sirius nodded and moved his large paw swiftly across the parchment one last time.  
  
"_It's about time you pay a visit to Godric's Hollow."_

* * *

What do you think about this chapter? Want to know what happen next? Give me some motivation. Review! 


	6. 12 Grimmauld Place

Disclaimer: nothing Harry Potter is mine  
  
AN: chapter 6! Sorry to disappoint some, but they are not yet going back to Godric's Hollow. I am not sure whether I should use the name Sirius or Padfoot to refer to his dog dorm... hope it doesn't confuse anyone.  
Also, I am trying to figure out how should the OWLs thing works. There should be how many subjects in total for them? Transfiguration, Potion, History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures, DADA, Charms, Divination, Herbology. Is there anything else Harry was supposed to be taking? Responses to some of my fellow reviewers:  
  
krenya-alenak: well, strictly speaking, that scene was not really supposed to be funny... was it really? glad that you like that scene, though!  
  
emikae: um, of course I couldn't go all the way into the end, cause the end is not yet written! But I am working on chapter 9 now, actually... but I don't want to post too fast, because I can't write that fast. But really, I didn't think the end of last chapter was a cliffy O.O anyway, to keep me update faster, you know what to do  
  
elvenwolf: sorry about the grammatical mistakes, but I'm trying the best I can... and I think this cant be compared with book six at all! But I m flattered all the same! And u raised a good point: about whether this Sirius is real or not. It' s supposed to be confusing ... : p but it is not now, is it?  
  
HoshiHikari4ever: Remus being informed is not included in my short term plan, though entirely keeping it secret from him will be very difficult   
  
Snuffles2: yes, you are quite right! Their method of communication is tedious and time consuming, but it will not last for too long!  
  
HarryPotterFan17, SiriusElvenStar, Jackie, serrebi, gohan/videlgoten/trunkslover, grangerhermoine, chocolate-wolfie, PhoenixPadfoot89, iyoku-chan, elanastar : THANKS so much for reviewing!  
  
Now, on with the story. Enjoy!

.

* * *

Chapter 6 12 Grimmauld Place  
  
Harry stopped before the stone steps leading to the dark and looming house. He stared at the shabby door where the silver number 12 stood vividly out of the scratched black paint. Someone patted his shoulder and he looked up.  
  
"Come on, Harry, let's get inside." Remus said with a gentle smile on his wary face and walked up the steps. Harry could tell the effort behind the friendly gesture. Guilt for not telling Remus the truth and hence placing the poor man into agonizing turmoil rose inside Harry. Harry was not sure for how much longer he could put up with the act.  
  
The feel of something slippery brushing against his knee brought Harry back to reality.  
  
'Harry?' Remus asked. Harry had to restrain himself from looking down to check that his godfather was still there with him. It would rouse Remus's suspicion, not to mention pointless. Harry could have seen nothing of his godfather's dog form because unlike Dumbledore, Harry couldn't see through invisibility cloak. Harry straightened himself and flashed a weak smile towards Remus as he approached Remus. The feeling of the silky fabric occasionally brushing against his leg assured Harry that Sirius was still accompanying him.  
  
.  
  
Harry slept on the floor with Sirius curled at his side the night he had the vision with Voldemort. Next morning, the sound of beak knocking his window woke them up. With his limbs stiff and aching, Harry made his way to the window and was thrilled to see his beloved owl, Hedwig. Harry immediately let Hedwig in. Glimmering in the blinding sunlight in Hedwig's beak, was a single scarlet golden feather that looked familiar. As Harry stroke Hedwig's feather, his heart swelling with happiness of seeing his pet intact, Hedwig dropped the feather onto Harry's desk. The thought of Hedwig and the dog bouncing up and down beside him were driven out of Harry's mind as the feather stood vertically by its pointed end upon a piece of parchment on his desk and started quivering. The moment the feather slide across the parchment in a graceful motion, leaving a golden trail behind its progress, Harry realized that it was Fawkes's feather. It moved across the parchment in a dancing-like motion and eventually stopped and fell innocently back on the desk. Harry picked up the parchment and read.  
  
_Harry,  
As you should have noticed, this feather belongs to Fawkes. It is a means to communicate among Order members. Each feather can only be used by a single person and the message it sent cannot be intercepted. The feather would not deliver message unless the owner is alone. Dumbledore thought it prudent to give you one. In case you want anything, just pick up the feather and address the person within the Order you want to contact. End the message with your signature, and the feather will send the message to the feather belonged to that person. The message would appear on any surface the feather has written on and would only stay for one minute after it had been written. Up till this moment only Dumbledore and I know that you have got this feather, so unless it is absolute emergency, don't use it yet to contact other members of the Order.  
Feel free to drop me a word or two if you want anything. We will hopefully meet soon. Take care. _

_Remus._  
  
The letter written in golden ink vanished one minute after the feather had stopped moving. Harry absent-mindedly fed Hedwig with owl treat as he held Fawkes's feather close to Sirius.  
  
"Do you recognize this?" Sirius studied the feather for a while and sniffed it. Then he nodded, his pale eyes shining with a hard to discern emotion. Harry sat heavily on his bed.  
  
"I don't understand. If you had had such a safe method to communicate, why didn't Dumbledore give me this last year? You wouldn't have . . . you wouldn't have to be stuck if he had . . ." Sirius stopped Harry with a determined shake of his head and fixed Harry with his gaze clearly saying "Drop it, Harry."  
  
Sirius had not discussed the meaning of Dumbledore giving the feather to Harry, nor had he mentioned "Godric's Hollow" again. He just asked Harry to contact Remus with the newly acquired quill and arrange a visit to the Headquarter of the Order on the coming Friday.  
  
Harry had complied and Remus had agreed. That was why Harry was standing in front of the Headquarter of the Order of Phoenix at the afternoon of that Friday with Sirius hidden under his invisibility cloak. They had chosen to make their visit on Friday afternoon because, according to Sirius's experience, Moody would be most busy with duty for the Order during that period of the week. Remus arrived at the Dursleys' house with a Portkey that afternoon. Harry nearly had a heart attack when Remus frowned and looked around Harry's bedroom in confusion. Harry remembered somewhere from the textbook that werewolf was supposed to possess superior senses normal human beings lack. He might be able to detect Sirius's smell even if he was under the invisibility cloak. Panic-stricken, Harry shoved a bag of every favour beans under Remus's nose and at the same time offered him chocolate frogs. To Harry's great relief, those sweets seemed to have distracted Remus for the moment being. Harry then had his hand placed firmly upon Sirius's invisible head as he reached for the portkey Remus had brought.  
  
Harry's mind stopped wandering as he stepped into the Headquarter. The hallway was as gloomy as ever regardless of the brightness of the daylight outside the door. Harry tiptoed after Remus across the hallway, careful not to produce the smallest of sound, which might provoke the person residing in the portrait behind the curtains to go berserk. Remus led the way down a flight of stone steps to the room where they usually ate. The room seemed even more messy and disordered than Harry remembered, judging from the chairs, dishes and forks that littered the floor and the thin layer of dust upon the cooking pans and the large wooden table. On first glance, Harry thought it was void of any living creatures, but on closer inspection, Harry noticed someone was sitting on a battered wooden chair close to a corner of the room with a bottle of beer held loosely in the person's hand. The person's head was bent and long lock of muddy coloured hair obscured her face from sight. She seemed to be sleeping.  
  
Remus approached the woman and called tentatively. "Tonks?"  
  
Tonks jerked her head up, the bottle in her hand fell to the floor and shattered with a loud crash. The sound woke her up fully and she started to babble apologies at messing up again. Her black eyes were dull and blood- shot, as though she hadn't slept for days.  
  
"Why didn't you go home and get some sleep?" Remus asked as Tonks knelt and tried to clear up the fragments of the glass bottle with her hands. "I just wanted to catch some breath here before going back to work. I didn't mean to fall asleep. No, you don't, Remus, let me clean up the mess. " Tonks held up her hand to stop Remus from helping, while at the same instant she let out a sharp 'ooch'. She seemed to have cut her other hand.  
  
"Let me - " Said Remus, his hand reaching into his pocket. But Tonks was faster than him. "Oh, this is ridiculous!" She exclaimed and stood up, her wand already on her unwounded hand. She levitated the fragments of the bottle up and directed them towards the trash bin. Then for the first time, she noticed the presence of another person in the room other than Remus.  
  
"Oh, Harry!" Before Harry knew what was happening, he had been engulfed in a tight hug. Tonks released him after a few seconds as if realizing the imprudence of her behaviour. She smiled at Harry sheepishly, her usual cheerfulness returning. "How are you doing, Harry?"  
  
"I'm fine." That statement was not a lie. However, as Harry reminded himself again that he had to act as though he was still mourning for Sirius's supposed 'death', he averted his eyes. Afterwards followed a moment of awkward silence, during which no doubt Tonks was kicking herself mentally for asking such an inappropriate question.  
  
"I will let Dumbledore know you have arrived, Harry." Remus said, saving Harry and Tonks the task of breaking the silence. "Tonks, can you keep Harry company for the moment being?"  
  
"Of course!" Replied Tonks with her cheerful voice in place once again. She ushered Harry to a seat near the table and with a few flick of her wand, conjured two goblets of pumpkin juice for Harry. "Here, have a drink."  
  
"Thanks." Harry muttered and sipped at the goblet though he was not thirsty. "What are you up to lately? You seemed busy." Harry asked.  
  
"'I am busy' would be a huge understatement. The folks at the Ministry are working us Aurors as if we are machines that need no rest, now that You-Know-Who has gone public. Not to mention Order duty . . . But the most tiring task is the research our group of Aurors is assigned to. It's about telepathy. Can you believe that? The skill of true telepathy has been lost to us wizards and witches for centuries, excluding those by dark magic means, of course, but now they are asking us to develop it again for use in the fight against You-Know-Who!" Harry wondered if Tonks was allowed to speak of Auror assignment to someone out of the department, but he reckoned it would be rude for him to point out.  
  
"And they expect us to succeed in the near future! For God's sake, can you believe that, Harry? Today I have to attend a meeting at noon to 'report our progress'. As if there can be any . . ."  
  
"Er," Harry cleared his throat, "sorry to intercept you, but it is already half past two."  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's now half past two . . ."  
  
Tonks let out a sharp shriek and knocked down her chair in her haste to stand up. "Merlin's beard! They are going to kill me." She grabbed a shabby traveling cloak lying on the floor at the corner. In a flash, she reached the door leading to the hallway. "Sorry to leave you in such haste, Harry. See you around!" She yelled as her traveling cloak slipped through the door just before it was closed.  
  
Moments later, Remus pushed the door to the room open looking alarmed. "What happened? Who screamed?" Remus surveyed the room again. "Where's Tonks?" By then, Harry managed to regain the control to his mouth. "She's late for work." Remus relaxed considerably and shook his head. "Not again?" He mused as he picked up the chair Tonks had knocked down and set it back on its legs.  
  
"So, Harry," Remus sat down and looked at Harry, "Why do you want to come here today?" Harry tensed up inside. He could also sense the invisible dog lying motionless besides his feet under the table tense up. Harry took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice neutral. "I just want to get away from the Dursleys once in a while. Get some fresh air, you know. And I want to . . . " Harry struggled to keep his expression neutral. Even the slightest mistake would ruin Harry and Sirius's plan. "I want to have a look at Sirius's belongings."  
  
Harry avoided eye contact, hoping against hope that Remus would view it as a sign of grieve rather than dishonesty.  
  
"Can I . . .?"  
  
"Of course you can, Harry. Now that Sirius is . . . not here, his possessions would go to you. I will take you up to his room later. Perhaps you should finish your drink first." Harry let out a sign of relief. However, he noticed there seemed to be a shaky edge to Remus's voice. Harry also noted that Remus's hair seemed even grayer than before. Harry lifted the goblet of pumpkin juice to his mouth and sipped again. He let his eyes roamed around and felt something amiss.  
  
"Why is no one here? Where are the Weasleys?" Harry put down his goblet and asked.  
  
"Everyone has his or her hands full these days. The Headquarter isn't filled with many people except during meeting. And the Weasleys, actually Molly, thought it best that they don't move in for the time being."  
  
Harry frowned upon hearing the name of Mrs. Weasleys. He couldn't quite forgive Mrs. Weasley for being mean to Sirius.  
  
"Harry, we really should put our grudges behind us. Molly hadn't had a night of undisturbed sleep these days. Do you know why?"  
  
"She is no doubt worried about her family . . . and me."  
  
"Not only that, Harry. She regretted how she had treated Sirius."  
  
"She should be." Harry muttered under his breath, but it was not unheard by his former teacher and his godfather under the table.  
  
"Don't say or do things you would regret later, because you never know if you would ever have the chance to redeem them." Remus said in a soft tone, but it rang loudly around the otherwise silent room.  
  
"I'm sorry." Harry blew his head.  
  
"It's in our nature to make mistakes, Harry. Anything else you want to know?"  
  
It was a moment before Harry could utter his question. "Has Percy come around?"  
  
"I'm afraid not yet. He is still not on speaking terms with his parents." Harry had guessed as much. Percy's pride must be seriously injured now that he knew his parents had been correct all along. "It may be because every single Ministry employee is having a hard time lately with all the chaos surrounding the return of Voldemort. Percy might not have time to contact his parents still."  
  
"Yeah, one can so hope."  
  
"We shouldn't be too hard on Percy, though. Fudge is not at his best temper these days and it must be hard for Percy to cope. "  
  
"So we can only hope he would someday come around?"  
  
"He will, Harry. Percy may be ambitious, but he has his heart at the right place."  
  
Harry felt disheartened by the discussion. He gulped down the last mouth of pumpkin juice and set the mug down. "I'm ready to go."  
  
Harry followed Remus out of the room and upstairs. They kept climbing the stairs until they got to the fourth landing. There was only a single hallway with more than ten doors. Remus strode along the hallway and stopped at the third door to the right. The door was plain black with no marking or anything that separated it with the rest of the doors.  
  
Remus reached into his robe and took out several keys. "This is the guest wing of the Black Manor. Sirius said he couldn't bear to stay in his old bedroom. Too many unpleasant memories, he told me." Harry realized it would be hard for him to think of Remus without his sad smile now. "All the stuff he valued is inside." Remus said as he found the key for the door and slid it into the keyhole of the door. With a metallic click, the door was unlocked. Remus swung the door open.  
  
What greeted Harry was the sight of a room three times as large as his own small bedroom at Privet Drive. It didn't look as if no one had come inside for weeks – it looked as if no one had set foot into the room for years. There was no window inside. The walls were adjourned with nothing but greenish-blue and filthy wallpaper. At the corner lay a large four-poster bed with half of its green hangings missing. The hanging left looked every inch mould-infested. Shelves upon shelves of books filled the space of the four walls. The thick volumes of books and the several robes discarded on the floor were the only things inside the room that were not covered with inch-thick dust.  
  
"Looks terrifying, doesn't it?" Remus waved his hand vaguely around the room. He took out his wand and directed them towards the torches around the room, which ignited in dim yellow flame. "Sirius only used this room for storage. He seldom slept here. " Harry thought it understandable that Sirius had not slept inside a room without even a single window.  
  
Harry could feel Sirius brushed against his legs as he trotted into the room.  
  
"Er, Remus, can I – can I have a moment alone?"  
  
"Of course." Giving the room a last look, Remus willed himself to tear his eyes away from the room. The thick carpet under their feet absorbed the sound of footsteps as Remus withdrew from the room. With a barely audible click, the door was closed, leaving Harry and Sirius alone inside.  
  
For a moment, Harry wanted to tell Sirius that the coast was clear; no one was looking, he could transform back to his human form. But then a leaden feeling, which Harry was fast being accustomed to whenever he set his eyes upon his godfather's animagus form, settled in his stomach. Harry was reminded once again that Sirius was trapped within the shell of his dog form.  
  
Trying hard to keep the sudden and unexpected surge of sadness unnoticed with his blank face, Harry knelt down and reached his hands around for his godfather. Soon something came into contact with his outstretched hands, and after fumbling around the invisible fabric for a while, Harry got Padfoot out of the invisibility cloak. Harry managed a weak smile under Padfoot's sharp blue gaze. "Come on, Sirius, we don't have all day. Go." He ruffled Sirius's soft fur behind his long ears and gave him a pat on his back to urge him on. The feeling of his fingers running through the smooth fur of Sirius's pacified Harry's mind a bit.  
  
Sirius wasted no time in reacquainting with his old bedroom. He walked straight to one of the many shelves that filled most of the space of the room. He stopped and wagged his tail eagerly to motion Harry to follow him.  
  
Harry looked up and down the shelf that was full of books and rolls and piles of parchments. He looked back down at the large black dog sitting on the floor. Harry pointed at the topmost row of the shelf and Sirius shook his head, indicating a 'no'. They repeated the procedure for a few times until they reached the fourth row of the shelf, which was just about Harry's eye level. Harry ran his hands over the cover of the books from left to right. Sirius barked as Harry's hand ran over a small leather bound book with green cover. Harry pulled the book out.  
  
The moment the book separated from the wooden shelf, all books and parchment residing on the fourth row fell backwards, as if being sucked by an invisible vacuum cleaner from behind. The air around the shelf seemed to crackle with electricity. What left behind of the row was the wooden back of the shelf. Harry looked questioningly at Sirius. Sirius looked at Harry with a somehow mischievous glint in his pale eyes. He raised his paw and made a reaching movement, indicating Harry to imitate him. With the green book still in his right hand, Harry reached into the shelf. The progress of his hand wasn't stopped by the back of the shelf or the wall. Instead Harry kept reaching in until half of his arm up till to his elbow had gone through the wood of the shelf. Harry felt around with his fingers. It must have been the weirdest feeling Harry had ever experienced; what surrounded his forearm was not air. It felt cold to touch and the texture was slippery. It was swirling around Harry's hand smoothly and kept slipping through Harry's outstretched fingers.  
  
"Sirius, what am I supposed to find?" Harry hissed in hushed voice. Sirius merely looked back at Harry, his pale eyes reflecting the yellow light from the torches. It was as if Sirius was waiting for something to happen.  
  
Without warning, the slippery stuff behind the shelf warmed up. At the same time, invisible claws seized Harry's forearm in a tight grip. He pulled his arm with all his strengthen, trying in vain to free it, but the grip on his arm only tightened. Panic started to rise in Harry. But it should be nothing dangerous. Sirius wouldn't tell Harry to do this if something bad would happen to him.  
  
"Sirius, what's happening? I cannot free my arm!" Harry couldn't bit down the fanatical tone in his voice. Sirius didn't look the remotest bit alarmed by the situation. "Sirius!" The invisible force was to bone- crushing point now . . .  
  
Sirius barked. Harry could not care if Remus could hear Sirius's bark for the iron grip on his arm was loosened. Harry yanked his arm out and checked for any damage. He let out a relieved sign when he found none. As Harry looked again, the fourth row of the shelf was no longer empty. A single book that was as thick as Hermione's "Hogwarts: A History" appeared. Sirius jumped up and down eagerly, indicating they had found what they were here for.  
  
Harry flipped through the little green book on his hand, and noticed that its pages were all blank. Harry replaced the green book on his hand back to the shelf and took out the thick book that had appeared. Harry almost dropped the thick leather bound book in shock when the air around the shelf reverberated with current of invisible force. The force shook the whole wooden shelf, making a few books and parchments fell from their resting place. When the shaking ended, the feeling of saturated charges around the air vanished. The fourth row of the shelf was filled with books again, looking as if nothing out of ordinary had happened.  
  
Harry slumped down on the floor beside Sirius. "What happened?" Harry asked, his heartbeat still fast from the shock of his arm being trapped by the wall. Sirius, on the other hand, just sat studying Harry with an innocent look on his dog face. Harry decided it was pointless to ask, as Sirius couldn't answer him anyway. He turned his attention to the heavy book on his lap.  
  
The cover of the book was plain black and thoroughly worn out. Harry flipped through the pages. There were pages filled with untidy handwriting. Scattered throughout the book were pages filled with printed words and pictures. Some pages were filled with language that Harry couldn't recognize.  
  
Sirius stood up and his ears flickered. Harry looked up from the book in alarm. He quickly threw the invisibility cloak around Sirius as someone knocked the door. Harry shoved the book under the invisibility cloak before opening the door.  
  
"Everything alright here?" Remus asked. Harry wondered if he could sense the residue of magic in the room.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Harry, you have to leave now. I am sorry I can't let you stay longer, but Order duty calls. Perhaps we can arrange another visit later . . ."  
  
"It's ok, Remus. Thanks for letting me come."  
  
"You are welcome. Let's get downstairs. "  
  
Harry waited until Remus started to descend the stairs before turning back to the room. Sirius struggled out of the invisibility cloak and sat still so that Harry could tie it securely around him. Sirius had the book secured between his jaws. They then went downstairs.  
  
Remus was searching his robe pocket when Harry arrived at the dining room. "There it is." He muttered as he took out a small piece of parchment and his wand. Remus tapped the parchment with his wand and the parchment glowed with a soft blue light.  
  
"Harry, you . . ." Remus stopped in mid sentence and turned his head towards the direction of the door. "Could you wait for a minute? Someone has arrived. " Remus put the parchment back into his robe pocket and hurriedly made his way back to the hallway. Soon Harry heard hushed voice coming towards the dining room. He strained his ears to listen and caught bits of their conversation.  
  
"Harry is here. He wanted to . . ." It was Remus's voice.  
  
"Mr Potter is here? How is . . ." the authoritative and stern voice no doubt belonged to Professor Mcgonagoll.  
  
There was a third noise. But it wasn't someone's voice.  
  
_Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.  
_  
Harry rushed to the threshold of the door. He swang the door open, and found himself face to face to none other than Alastor "Mad-eye" Moody.  
  
"Potter! Good to see you up and around." One could almost say that Moody seemed pleased to see Harry. Harry, on the other hand, felt his stomach crunched and twisted in fear. His fear mounted as the electric blue pupil of Moody's eyes swirled into vision. Any second now. Moody would see through the invisibility cloak and notice Sirius . . . He must do something. . .  
  
"Why are you blocking the doorway? Remus, are you quite sure that the boy is ok? " Moody said as he pushed Harry aside and entered the room. Harry was oblivious to the curious and worried gaze Remus and Professor McGonagall threw his way. He watched in fear as Moody stopped and stood still before the table. Moody's back became rigid.  
  
"What's the matter?" Remus asked, alarmed at Moody's silence.  
  
Moody didn't turn around.  
  
"Damn!" he cursed, and to Harry's utmost horror, took out his wand. Knowing Moody, he was going to attack first and ask later!  
  
"No!" Harry yelled as Moody waved his wand.  
  
"What's the matter with you, boy?" Moody snapped with an irritated voice and turned around . . . with a glass of water in his grumpy hand. Moody had taken out his wand to conjure a glass of water.  
  
"Can someone tell me what's happening?" McGonagall asked.  
  
"My eye's stuck again! How am I supposed to work with the blasted eyes stuck up once every few days?" Moody's magical eye was stuck upwards again and what they could see was only the white of his eye. Harry could hardly believe his luck.  
  
"I just have it checked by those folks at St. Mungo's last week." Moody grumbled as he took out his magical eye in a disgusting movement and threw it into the glass. Moody turned to Harry and stared at him in suspicion. "What were you yelling at?"  
  
"Nothing." Harry replied perhaps a bit too fast. But luck was on Harry's side. Moody decided to let the matter drop.  
  
The four of them moved to the table and settle down. Harry was anxious to go. He and Sirius had to leave before Moody had his magical eye back in place. But he would rouse even more suspicion than he already had if he exhibited his haste to get away from the house.  
  
"Any luck in finding her, Minerva?" Remus's voice brought Harry back to reality.  
  
"No."  
  
"Who's missing?" Harry couldn't stop himself but asked.  
  
"It's Professor Trelawney. She has been missing for nearly a week now. "  
  
"Minerva, are you sure that woman is trustworthy? She appeared suspicious enough to me." Moody said with a scowl.  
  
"She may not be talented at divination, but she is not evil. It is my guess that she is still upset with what happened with Umbridge last year. She had been noising about quitting and leaving Hogwarts for a while. Albus had tried to pacify her, and she appeared to be satisfied with the arrangement next term. It gave us quite a shock when she just vanished with the luggage she had packed since the last term ended. She must have got home, if you ask me." Professor Mcgonagoll said with the stern expression she always wore when dealing with naughty students.  
  
"But Dumbledore seemed worried about her, though." Remus muttered to himself. "Before I forget," Remus freed himself from his own thought, "Harry, you should go."  
  
"Okay." Harry wanted to listen more of their conversation, but as at the sight of the swirling magical eye in the glass of water, Harry decided he had better leave.  
  
Harry rose from his seat and bid Professor Mcgonagoll and Moody goodbye. He then turned to Remus.  
  
"You know how to reach me if you want anything." Remus said. Harry nodded and took the piece of parchment that was undoubtedly a Portkey from Remus's hand, his other hand already firmly planted on Sirius's invisible head.

* * *

Godric's Hollow will be next! Please Review! 


	7. Memories of the Past

Disclaimer: nothing about Harry Potter is mine, ever.  
  
AN: sorry it's later than usual. THANKS to all who reviewed.  
  
Enjoy as Harry and Sirius explored the 'legendary' Godric's Hollow! And somehow it turned out to be different from the original plan...

.

.

* * *

Chapter 7 Memories of the Past  
  
It took Sirius a good few days to explain to Harry the content on disillusion and concealment in the notebook they had retrieved from Sirius's room in 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius provided that the charm was correctly done.  
  
"_Disillusionus_!" Harry pointed his wand to his old text book for what he felt the hundredth time. Sirius gave an excited bark. For a splitting second, Harry thought he had seen the book turned grey. But as Harry picked the book up for closer inspection, the book remained its original brown colour. Harry turned the book upside down. Still nothing. Harry threw the book down in exasperation.  
  
"Sirius, are you sure that this is the right d would blend flawlessly with the background, provided that the charm was correctly done.  
  
"_Disillusionus_!" Harry pointed his wand to his old text book for what he felt the hundredth time. Sirius gave an excited bark. For a splitting second, Harry thought he had seen the book turned grey. But as Harry picked the book up for closer inspection, the book remained its original brown colour. Harry turned the book upside down. Still nothing. Harry threw the book down in exasperation.  
  
"Sirius, are you sure that this is the right charm?" Harry groaned as he flexed and stretched his wrist and his wand arm, which was stiff with tiredness after performing the complex wand movement accompanying the incantation of the spell. He wiped cold sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. The charm was ridiculously draining.  
  
"_I am sure this is the right one. It had been awfully useful back at our years in Hogwarts. The Marauders excelled this in our sixth year, so I thought you would have no problem."_ Sirius said through the parchment with the 26 alphabets.  
  
"How long had it taken you?"  
  
"_Well, it took us five months, but it was worth the effort_."  
  
"Five months? I surely cannot excel this before the term start!"  
  
"_Of course you can, because I know the correct way to do this. It had taken us a good month, even with brainy Moony and smart Prongs, not to mention me, to interpret the runes the charm was written in. And it had taken us another month to figure the wand movement and the sort of thing . . . anyway, my point is, this should take you less than a month. Your last try wasn't all bad, was it?"_  
  
Harry stared at the unchanged transfiguration textbook in his hand, and signed.  
  
"_Don't give up yet, lad._"  
  
"We have been doing this for five days. Why don't we just try something else? There are plenty of invisibility spells and potions in your book."  
  
"_Ordinary invisibility charms don't stand a chance against competent wizard or witches as Dumbledore, McGonagall or even Remus. Even so, the simplest invisibility charms are Seventh Year level, at least for ordinary wizards and witches. The disadvantage of such NEWT level invisibility charms is that the castor himself also cannot see the charmed object, in our case, me. It would be unbeneficial."_  
  
"Is there any difference with this disillusion charm? The castor cannot see the charmed object, right?"  
  
"_You are wrong. The disillusion charm you have been practicing is different from the normal ones. The object would still be discernible from the background for the one who cast the charm, while for other people or animals the charmed object would blend completely with the background. This is the beauty of this disillusionment charm_."  
  
Harry read over Sirius's word and signed. He turned his attention on the dog form of his godfather. Strangely, his eyes were staring at the space. He seemed to be in contemplation. His head jerked as if something suddenly dawned on him. He pointed his paw towards the alphabet parchment  
  
"_There may be something else that is prefect for our condition... Yes, that **is** the perfect solution. I can't believe I've forgotten something as important_."  
  
"You said that this disillusionment charm was perfect."  
  
"_I am serious this time. I was stupid to have overlooked it._ "  
  
"Can't expect too much from a dog's brain, can we?"  
  
Sirius glared at Harry.  
  
"_Just turn to page 23 of my note book."_  
  
Harry flipped though the pages with trepidation. He doubt whether the thing Sirius had in mind would take him ten years to master if it was really so good. Harry lay the book down on his bed and read the content aloud.  
  
"The Concealment Charm. It is a charm requiring high level of magical energy of the castor, which provides protection to the person under the charm from the prying eyes, either unaided or aided with magic, of all human beings except the castor. It is one of the very first concealment charms in the history of recorded magic; its origin reaches as far back as the period of the founding of Hogwarts. The charm is dependent upon the existence of a bond, either magical or spiritual, between the castor and the one being cast with the charm. The Concealment Charm builds on the existing bond and at the same time consolidating the connection between the souls of the two involved, granting the two involved with an enhanced spiritual link aside from protection to the person being charmed. To cast the charm . . . "  
  
Harry continued to scan through the pages which gave a detailed description of the correct incantation of the charm, which Harry had no idea on how to pronounce, and then a detailed description of the effect of the charm, provided that the charm was correctly performed. Afterwards followed a series of _animated_ illustrations of the horrible consequences if the charm had been performed faultily. Harry winced as his vision swept across those unsightly images.  
  
"Sirius, are you serious about this?" Harry looked at Padfoot with a queasy feeling in his stomach, hoping against hope that the great black dog would shake its hairy head.  
  
Padfoot nodded his gigantic head solemnly, his pale eyes set in a determined gaze upon Harry. 'You are going to do this no matter what.' The determined gaze told Harry what Sirius was thinking.  
  
Sirius had not pressed Harry to get started on the charm that day, as Harry was already exhausted with the practice of the disillusionment charm. Instead, Harry was urged to send Remus a message via Fawke's feather for permission to visit Godric's Hollow. Remus agreed to take Harry to his parents' house. Harry longed to visit Godric's Hollow ever since he had heard of its existence, but he still had been burning to know why Sirius wanted him to go there. Sirius had been insistent on not disclosing much and only indicated that he wanted to check out something important in his deceased best friend's house.

* * *

"Harry, welcome home." Remus waved his arm over the stone path that was lined with firs on both side. The road opened into a clearing ten meters ahead. There stood in the middle of the clearing a three-storey house with red-bricked walls. The house seemed to glow with warmth under the morning sun. It looked as if the thick wooden door would be swung wide open at any moment and a small child would burst out of the house. The little child ran with his face flushed with happiness, his scolding yet loving mother close at his heel. Harry couldn't suppress the feeling of warmth that was flooding the deepest corner of his heart. Picking up his pace, Harry sped down the path with his arms swinging in excitement at his side.  
  
After no time at all, Harry was standing in front of the doorstep of the house. Gently, he rested his hand upon the worn looking door. The moment his skin came into contact with the wood, his whole body reverberated with a magical resonance. It was as if the blood within his vessels was all of a sudden saturated with power and surging with strength.  
  
"Harry." Someone called. Harry ran his palm over the coarse surface of the wooden door before withdrawing it.  
  
"Welcome back." Remus said.  
  
"Remus, I really have to thank you for bringing me here . . ." Harry said with his eyes glued to the house he had lived during the first year of his life. It was as though if Harry had stared long enough, he could have been allowed a peep through the memory of his parents buried within the deepest part of his brain.  
  
After a while, rational thoughts squeezed themselves out of Harry's overjoyed brain. "This house is wonderful. But they had said that Voldemort had destroyed it during that night. How come it still looks . . . so intact and well looked after?" Harry waved his arm vaguely over the house.  
  
"You have Professor Dumbledore to thank that for, " Remus said, "a part of the house was destroyed, but Dumbledore, using means that no one else understand, restored the external structure and even the ancient wards protecting it so that it looks and feels just like before. I offered to help keeping it maintained occasionally during all those years and tried to restore the interior the best I can manage. Dumbledore insisted repairing this ruined house so that not all the past memories are lost to those who are still alive. . . "  
  
Harry stared at his feet. He didn't know what he should think. It almost looked as if Dumbledore really cared about Harry as a human being. Or had he ever used Harry as a tool?  
  
"Let's get inside." Harry nodded as Remus took out a single golden key. "It is all yours now. " Remus put the golden key onto Harry's palm. Harry closed his shaking fingers around the key and squeezed for a moment. Then he slided the key into the keyhole. With a smooth click, the lock was opened.  
  
Harry took a deep breath and pushed. What greeted him was a spacious sitting room. The floor was covered with woolen deep red carpet that was soft and comfortable to step on. Portraits and paintings adjourned the walls. There was a deep blue sofa and a muggle TV set. Books and various decorations as vases and porcelain figures filled the space of the wooden shelves surrounding the room. Harry could picture perfectly the image of a red-haired woman coming out of the kitchen into the sitting room with a vase full of fleshly picked white lily, walked across the sofa and TV set to the wooden table. In a graceful motion, the woman placed the vase down where the flowers were caught in a curtain of luxurious golden sunlight. The woman turned her head and her lips were slightly open, about to call her son with her soft voice . . .  
  
"If it is OK with you, " Remus' voice terminated Harry's imagination. "I have to go for a while. Tonks is already outside. She agreed to look out for you while I'm gone. Tonks said she preferred to stay outside and enjoy the morning sunbath. Just take your time around the house and explore it as long as you wish."  
  
After Remus was gone, Harry freed Sirius out of the invisibility cloak. Padfoot seemed unusually subdued. His pale blue eyes were wide open with an unspoken sadness. He trotted around the room with his tail limbed downwards. Harry couldn't find the heart to disturb his Godfather's private recollection. Instead he quietly made his way out of the room and wandered around the house. Sudden surge of familiarity overcome Harry as he turned corners and entered rooms, but the memories were too vague and slippery to be grasped. There were rooms with few or nothing inside, probably due to the incomplete restoration. Harry didn't know why Sirius had wanted to come here. Perhaps he just wanted them to get a chance to revisit buried memories, or it had something to do with Sirius mentioning James telling him to 'go home' in the Portal to Death. Nevertheless, Harry was grateful that he had finally come here. 

.

Sirius stared at the two armchairs next to the hearth. The house was saturated with memories of the Maraudars so intense that Sirius had a hard time breathing . . . His mind was overloaded with the scents of his best friends that should be long gone the night the house and its owners were, presumably to be eternally, destroyed. One memory stood vivdly out of the hundreds that were threatening to burst out of his trapped mind, now more than ever . . .

.  
_ Sirius signed contently, closed his heavy eyelids and sank deeper into the large comfortable armchair. Listening to the soft crackle of the burning firewood over the howling sound of winter snowstorm had recently become a favourite pastime of Sirius'.  
  
Sirius lifted the hot mug of chocolate in his hand and stole a glance at the owner of the house where Sirius usually engaged in his new favourite pastime time. Ever since James and Lily Potter married and moved into Godric's Hollow, Sirius Black had been the most frequent guest of the house. He frequented the house so much that Lily even came to suggest that Sirius should save the trouble of coming and going and just simply move in with them. Sirius plainly declined the offer, saying he didn't want to disturb the Potter's private life, and that he didn't want to be restrained and he had been too busy with his various 'girlfriends' (It was true that he had had relationship with quite a few women, but none was serious or stable). Lily had insisted that Sirius needed to settle down and that living in a decent family would do him good. Lily and Sirius had quite a series of argument over the topic. Sirius knew perfectly well that Lily had meant him good by wanting him to experience normal family life. He knew that he lacked it and needed it, now more than ever, in the craziness surrounding the war and Voldemort, which had been mounting in intensity almost to the saturation point . . .  
  
"Padfoot, I want to tell you something about Godric Gryffindor."  
  
Sirius crooked his eyebrows at James sudden words.  
  
"Once upon a time, there was a powerful and wise wizard called Godric Gryffindor."  
  
Sirius couldn't help himself but interrupted. "Come on, Prongs, I've had enough of that at Hogwarts."  
  
"No you don't, mate."  
  
Sirius stopped protesting as he recognized the serious tone all too well.  
  
"Godric Gryffindor contributed greatly to the development of modern magic, especially in the field of telepathy. He valued the virtue of true courage above all other, especially the courage to choose in a dilemma. He founded Hogwarts with three others, hoping to pass on his knowledge and beliefs. He loved his family very much; his daughter and his son were the pride of his life."  
  
"Gryffindor's son and daughter? Never heard of them."  
  
"Don't interrupt. . . It was rumoured that Gryffindor had left his greatest power to those that came after him. The power would only be granted upon the person who passes a trial from Godric Gryffindor himself. "  
  
"Oh. . ." Sirius studied James' expression closely, trying to discern what James had in mind by telling such thing. James' face was unusually blank. Then it turned into one with barely contained excitement. Sirius crooked his eyebrows in puzzlement again.  
  
"Remember what I've told you, mate. But I hope the information won't come into use for you... anyway, enough of that for now. I have two pieces of news for you today."  
  
"One good, one bad? I want the bad one out of the way first."  
  
"Well, it depends on how you view them. The first one is that . . . Lily is pregnant."  
  
Sirius's lower jaw dropped.  
  
"I can't believe it! Prongs is going to be a father! Congratulations!" Sirius clapped James's shoulder heavily. Sirius's wolfish grin widened upon seeing the look of pure joy and pride in his best friend's face. Also there was nervousness.  
  
"Scary, isn't it? I'm going to be a father, for crying out loud!"  
  
"Yeah, Prongs, you're going to be a Father. And you'll be a great one!"  
  
"Thanks. You are the third person in the world who knew of the existence of our little baby. I'm going to name him Harry."  
  
"Harry? Sounds great! But how do you know that it will be a boy?"  
  
"I just know it is going to be a healthy little boy. I just know it." James said with such pride in his voice.  
  
"So, when will little Prongs see the first ray of this world?"  
  
"July. I'm so excited!"  
  
"So am I! Just hope that Prongs junior would be less thick then Prongs senior!"  
  
James smacked Sirius's head with his fist.  
  
"Now. I am going to deliver the second piece of news for today. I am very serious." James sat straight up facing Sirius, looking him squarely in the eyes.  
  
"Sirius Black," Sirius automatically straightened himself up, a pickling sensation now budding in the pit of his stomach in excited anticipation.  
  
"I now officially appoint you as the Godfather of Harry James Potter. Once you accept the role, you will be the legal guardian- "  
  
"What?" Sirius exclaimed, "Are you nuts?!"  
  
"– of James and Lily Potter's son and are obliged to take full responsibility of spoiling little Harry–"  
  
Sirius's jaw fell downwards, "Pardon me?"  
  
James continued his serious tone and expression as if Sirius hadn't spoken at all. "-and training him to be the next generation of trouble maker at Hogwarts. More importantly, you –"  
  
"You mean it, James? Me, a Godfather? I can't -"  
  
"– are obliged to raise your Godson if his parents, under any unfortunate circumstances, are unable to fulfill their roles."  
  
Sirius's heart was paralyzed for the briefest moment with fear at the last statement, for the mere thought of the circumstances that could make James and Lily not available to their son was most terrifying. Yet in time of war, who could say for certain that something, even as dreadful as beloved ones dying, would never happen?  
  
Sirius made up his mind. He was more then resolute to see to it that this decision would last nothing short of forever.  
  
There was no doubt that James could clearly depict the sequence of thoughts in Sirius's mind, even if his outward carefree expression had not flatter for the merest of millionth of a second.  
  
"James, are you sure that you have gotten the right person? Isn't it responsible, brainy Moony, or even honest Wormtail? Me?"  
  
"Yes, you. Lily said it would be good for you . . . a child would be enough to tie you back on the ground and settle down."  
  
"Settle down? Because of a child? Prongs, I agree to be the Godfather, even if it is just so to prove that I will not be that easily tied down! "  
  
The shock of being appointed as an authoritative figure of another human being wore on for several months. When the initial shock wore off, Sirius finally managed to accept the fact that he was going to be a Godfather. However, when that happened, the live baby was already crying in his arm. Flesh waves of panic hit Sirius head on.  
  
However, less than an hour later, Sirius was already plotting behind Lily's back to get Harry flying on a broomstick before he reached his third birthday.  
_

.  
Harry found Sirius sitting transfixed and staring at a photograph above the mantle. Harry chuckled as he looked at the picture closely – it was a baby, no doubt himself, being cuddled by two grown men, namely Sirius and James, in front of the house, with Lily hovering worriedly in the background.  
  
With a bark and a swing of his head, Harry knew that he was meant to follow. Harry trailed after Padfoot as he trod out of the sitting room. They went up the stairs to the second floor, and with his gigantic paw, Sirius turned the knob of a door and motioned Harry to enter the room. It was without doubt Harry's room when he had lived here years ago.  
  
Sirius stopped at the corner of a large Asian style deep red carpet covering the floor and tapped at the corner with his paw. Harry knelt down besides Sirius and lifted the carpet up. He knocked the floorboard with his knuckles, and was greeted with hollow sound of a space underneath the floor. Harry swiftly felt for the joining of the floorboard and pulled before uncertainty and fear of the unknown had time to settle in.  
  
The instant the wooden floorboard broke its contact with the floor, Harry felt his whole body being sucked into a pit of darkness. There was a sensation of free fall, but then he realized he was really falling through emptiness with an alarming speed. Before he could start panicking, Harry's body came into contact with a hard surface with a solid thud. It sent waves of excruciating pain through the side of his body that had suffered the full impact.  
  
Harry felt around the damp ground with shaky hands after he was sure that miraculously nothing in his body was broken. "Sirius! Where are you?" Panic seeped into Harry's rapidly cooling limbs as the silence around him rang on. Harry's throat constricted at the faint smell of rotten plant and dead stale air that seemed to press so hard onto him. Harry drew out his wand. "_Lumous_!" Harry's eyes were unprepared for sudden brightness. Momentary blindness was followed by pain of being jumped onto by a large black dog.  
  
"Sirius, don't do that!" Harry's voice rang horribly loud in the dead silence. He pushed off his over-enthusiastic godfather and stood up. From the now better controlled light from the wand tip, Harry surveyed the room they were in. Judging from the distance they have fallen, they must now be underground. The passageway they were in was clay-walled and allowed about two men to walk abreast. When Harry stared up, he couldn't even discern the hole through which they had fell through. All he could see was the slightly domed ceiling. They were in the middle of a passageway. About ten feet ahead of him the passageway opened into a larger cavity, while behind him the passage way continued on and on and Harry couldn't really see where it ended. With a little trepidation, Harry followed Sirius's steady foot steps into the cave ahead.  
  
Only two things stood out in that underground cave that was almost twice as large as Harry's bedroom: a large wooden box lying at the corner, nearly escaped Harry's surveillance as it blended so well with the background, and a tapestry with inch of dust covering its content. Quickly sweeping the dust off the surface with the back of his sleeve and sneezing uncontrollably, Harry wished he had learnt something, anything at all on how to remove dust with magic.  
  
What greeted Harry under the inch of dust was a family tree. The Potter Family Tree. Harry quickly located his own name at the lowest part of the tree. From what he could see, it seemed that James was the only child in his family. This was also the case for James's father. James's grandfather, on the other hand, had two sisters, one named Dorothy, the other Alice. But other than that, the family tree was just names and relationship that didn't really signify anything meaningful to Harry. Looking down to Sirius for indication of any recognition to the tapestry, Harry found nothing was shown on Sirius's impasse dog face.  
  
Silently, Harry brushed his fingers across the name of James Potter, the line joining his name to another, and then the name of Lily Potter, and stayed there. He could feel that his parents were trying to tell him something important by summoning him back here through Sirius. But exactly what do they want to tell him? He ached to know...  
  
Harry felt something stung his finger tip. Staring at the drop of blood that was oozing out of the tiny wound, Harry had the sensation of free fall... no, he indeed had been falling again.  
  
Less than the span of a second, Harry's bottom connected with the dampened, yet hard nonetheless, sandy ground. Rubbing his backside furiously, Harry shakily got up from the ground. Somehow by lucky chance, his wand was still in his clutch.  
  
"_Lumous_!"  
  
As soon as the word left his month, something ahead cracked open. Harry rolled off to the side. From the light of his wand point, Harry could see spears penetrate the ground where he had just fallen onto less than moments ago. Crouching on the ground and panting, Harry surveyed his surrounding with the dim light of his wand, which couldn't penetrate the darkness for long distance, as if being absorbed by the surrounding foul smelling air. Sirius was nowhere to be seen, which might very well mean that he had not fallen together with Harry this time.  
  
This time it was another passage way Harry had fallen into. The wall consisted of large, mud-ish brick that looked like a thousand years old. The atmosphere, the smell and the trap of spears gave Harry a queasy feeling that he was inside a tomb.  
  
Attempting to calm his racing heart to no avail, Harry set his shaken body upright by leaning onto the brick wall. His hands sought the support of the cracks between the bricks as he gingerly put his weight on his wobbly legs. Yet as his hand pushed another brick, it slide backwards with a dull click. In the subsequence silence, Harry's breathing sound was so loud to his own ears. Again the sound of something sliding open in the dark could be hard meters ahead of Harry. Reflexes of seeker saved Harry's life once more as Harry leapt and rolled out of harm's way. More of the spears lined the brick walls Harry had been clutching to, their shafts still vibrating from the impact.  
  
Harry straightened himself up, his mind running wild about all that had happened. He knew the trap was not meant to kill... or else the spears would have gone through his body the moment he triggered the trap. Instead, Harry had been given time to escape. Where the hell was he? Harry just couldn't shake off the weird feeling that it all seemed to be a poor imitation of adventure movies twenty or more so years ago. Perhaps he should expect mummies or skeletons to ambush him any moment...  
  
As Harry trotted through the passage, his suspicions seemed to be confirmed. Ground that suddenly gave away, bricks that collapsed on him without being provoked, string loop that threatened to snatch his ankle and hang him upside down... although none was deadly enough to get him, Harry was far from spared with scratches and cuts and bruises. He was really frustrated as he dodged one trap after another, and exit was nowhere in sight. What sort of people on earth would set up such a silly maze underneath their house? What were his parents thinking... or had he been transported to somewhere far apart when he fell through? And where was Sirius? He must be worried sick about him now...  
  
Without warning, the passage way gave way to a large chamber. Harry walked around the chamber that was void of any visible decorations or anything at all, without touching anything. The only thing worth noting was a side of the brick wall that had a distinct patch where the colour of the brick was different. It was roughly the size of half a door, where the brick was paler in colour than the surrounding wall, as if something had covered it for a long time... was it a picture or portrait of some kind, Harry had no means of telling.  
  
As if lured by some unknown forces, Harry's hand was drawn towards the area of light-coloured bricks. As soon as his fingers came into contact with the brick, Harry regretted his move. He tried to withdraw them, but they were already glued to the bricks by invisible forces. Harry felt that his whole body was being sucked into the wall. Harry's vision blacked out. He was lurching forward so swiftly and the rush of winds past his ear was deafening, yet he couldn't see a thing...  
  
The sound of dog barks roused Harry back to the reality of the living world. Harry opened his eyes. What occupied his entire field of vision was the over-enlarged, or the too close hairy face of a giant black dog. The dog licked his face furiously as it discovered that he was awake. Harry groaned, trying to push off the offending tongue with shivering hands, his body at the same time seemed to be aching all over.  
  
Harry found himself lying on the floor of his old room. His head were bursting with questions that no one would ever be able to answer – how had he got back there? How had Sirius got back there? Why were there underground passage ways and chambers down Godric's Hollow? It made his already aching head ached worse.  
  
What really happened? And what was he supposed to gain out of all these?

.  
  
Sirius was not about to provide any answers soon, it seemed. He put Harry under the scrutiny of his sharp gaze for a long while before relenting, as if then he decided that Harry had not suffered severe harm.  
  
"Sirius! What were we doing? Please tell me -"  
  
Padfoot shook his head. His eyes told Harry that what they had come for was not yet over. He turned to leave. Harry could do nothing but follow.  
  
Swiftly, Sirius made his way down the stairs and to the front door. He put his paw against the door knob, indicating that he wanted to be let out. Harry hurriedly tied the invisibility cloak around Padfoot before swinging the wooden door open.  
  
Harry greeted Tonks, whose hair was light green and spiky this time, and told her that he wanted to stroll around the house a bit. Tonks let him after making him promise not to wander too far away.  
  
As soon as they were out of Tonks's sight, Harry removed the invisibility cloak and continued to follow Padfoot's lead. They soon parted from the stony path and trotted among the firs and thick trees.  
  
The sound of rustling of leaves due to the gentle caress of wind, the soft song of birds dwelling on the trees, the thin veils of sunlight that escaped the thick canopy of the forests to descend upon the soil, the fragrance of blossoming plants in the air... all of these created a surreal atmosphere. It was like walking through a pleasant dream.  
  
Too soon, the journey through the dreamscape stopped. Padfoot stopped his progress and sat on the soft grass-covered soil, directly in front of his two best friends's grave.

.

James and Lily Potter  
1960-1981

.

It was all that was engraved on the white gravestone.  
  
Harry had dreamed of this moment. He had thought of this moment ever since he was five, when he was old enough to ask such questions as where his parents were buried. He was scolded for asking the question. He was ordered never to ask again. But it far from stopped him from thinking.  
  
Harry had thought he would cry upon seeing his parents' tombstone. But he didn't. Slowly, he lowered himself down to sit besides Padfoot, careful not to make any sound that would disturb the tranquility of the place.  
  
Harry knew it must have been the first time for Sirius to set his eyes upon his best friends' grave. He didn't know how Sirius felt, but for himself, Harry felt so calm. He was relieved. He closed his eyes to let himself feel.  
  
To feel the caressing breeze run through his hair, to feel the warmth of the sunlight upon his skin, to feel the quietness and the peace that his parents were immersed in.  
  
From the relaxed stance of his godfather, Harry could tell that he was experiencing the same emotion as he did.

.  
  
Harry had not found a lot of answers that he longed to acquire when he left Godric's Hollow. However, he gained memories that connected him to the past, and memories that gave both him and Sirius the strength to carry on.

* * *

My dear readers, I need motivation! I need suggestions! 


	8. Games, Plots and A Bond

* * *

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. 

AN: it's been a while. Life has been... well, no excuses. Writing has slowed down for me. And summer holiday is ending... Anyway, hope that everyone will enjoy this new installment, in which something is explained, and a major event will happen!

Thanks to all those who reviewed

Read and Enjoy

* * *

Chapter 8 Games, Plots and a Bond 

Harry stared out into the space, the sound of water splashing against porcelain tiles faint in the background. What happened in his parents' house- Godric's Hollow – flashed across his vision. The long underground passageway, the large empty chamber, the traps, the Potter family tree, and the place with the missing portrait- somehow he just _knew_ that it was a portrait- and the chest that contained his family's last remnant to him... and his parents' grave. All that threatened to burst his head. He just couldn't figure out the meaning of all that, but he had got a feeling that his parents had really wanted to tell him something... something important.

Nevertheless, the trip gave him something. Something he would treasure.

Water spilling all over his body roused him back to the living world. "Hey!" he half yelled indignantly. Yet Padfoot had no mind of stopping the assault, and kept shaking its gigantic body and splashing water everywhere. Maybe it had not been that great an idea to attempt to let Padfoot have a bath – yet he was so dirty and nearly stunk.

"Stop that, will ya?" one hand trying to hold the hairy body still, the other holding a slippery soap, Harry tried in vain to rub the soap against the long and messy hair of his godfather. Yet with another shake of the dog body, and Harry was even more thoroughly soaked with water and foam. He definitely was going to need a bath after this. Gratefully the Dursleys were away for a family outing, or else they would without doubt kill him for making such a mess of their bathroom. From the wolfish grin on Sirius's dog face, he was enjoying himself immensely. Harry groaned in annoyance in return. Deciding it should be his turn to retaliate, Harry picked up the water spray and directed the cold water column directly onto Sirius's, at that moment, overly smug dog face. Harry watched in satisfaction as it was his godfather's turn to yelp in indignity.

The moment of satisfaction turned out to be only fleeting, as Sirius retaliated in turn by jumping up and down in the tub full of water and sending nearly all of its content, which did not only contain water and foam, but also the layers of dirt that fell off from Sirius body, out of the tub and covering everywhere.

"Stop it, Sirius! For god's sake, you are a grown adult! Stay still and let me- " Harry's yell was cut off abruptly as Sirius decided that he no longer wanted to stay in the tub -- and jumped out and landed onto Harry. He immediately started assaulting Harry by licking and nudging at all sort of wrong places, making Harry laugh uncontrollably. "Stop ...stop! Stop... it!" Sirius's dog body was simply too heavy for Harry to lift away.

They played in the bathroom for what like whole of the morning and most of the afternoon, before Harry could successfully get both Sirius and himself cleaned and dried up. It was so tiring, because Harry couldn't remember when the last time was he had laughed so _hard_. Or one could put it another way – it had been a long time since Harry had felt so happy and so relaxed.

However, it also took the rest of the afternoon before Harry could clean up the mess they had made in the bathroom.

* * *

Dolohov bent his head even lower as his master's voice raised. 

"I didn't buy you all out because I cared whether you would rot forever in Azkaban. I thought you would at least be of _some_ use to me. You have failed me more than once. I will not tolerate it again. "

Dolohov could feel the Dark Lord's blazing gaze swept across the back of his bent neck. He couldn't help but shifted his body a bit to avoid straining his still aching left leg too much.

"I smell fear. I smell disloyalty." Dolohov's heart squeezed painfully in fear. "I do not forgive. I do not forget. Do well, and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dream. One wrong step, the consequence will be dire. It will be just as I have promised the day I brand you all as _mine_. You will forever remain mine, and you will forever obey me till the day I rid of you from this world. Or after. "

The following moment of silence was so pressing and suffocating.

Dolohov felt a tinge of annoyance as the usual drawling voice broke the silence.

"Yes my Lord. We are all thankful that you get us out from Azkaban. We would work even harder in gratitude of your kindness... we would not disappoint you again. Since your kindness, I have already ..." the self-proclaimed Dark Lord's right hand man, Lucius Malfoy, spoke with utmost meekness in his voice. As he listened to Malfoy's words, Dolohov kept telling himself it was worth it to do what he had done behind the Dark Lord's back. He couldn't stand forever being one step below that insufferable Malfoy. He would do anything to rise above Malfoy, even if it meant to withhold information like Potter's whereabouts from the Dark Lord.

After 10 minutes or so, Malfoy finally finished his report.

"Tolerance does not reside in me. You remember my words. Look up, you all. "

Outwardly Dolohov showed no signs of fear. Years of experience in the Dark Lord's service had taught him that. One thing never changed – his inside was being turned into liquid by fear. However, he met the Dark Lord's red hot glare steadily for those milliseconds that it swept across him. If the glare had lingered on, it would have penetrated his mind and seen what couldn't be seen, yet there was no outward indication for it to linger on him in particular.

"Dismiss. Get yourselves out of my sight. Get your tasks done. " the Dark Lord hissed.

Half an hour later, Dolohov sat moodily in a muggle pub in an outskirt part of London. He hated muggle pub. The smell of cheap muggle cigarette, the sound of ear-splitting muggle music(he was stunned that anyone would call _that_ music), the taste of foul muggle beer, _and_ the sight of filthy muggles, all made him want to vomit and leave the place at once. The irony was that this was last place his pureblooded aristocratic colleagues would ever be when not at work, and hence this place that he despised so much was the place that could provide him with much needed privacy.

The sound of leather boots, fine boots that only magic could make, against the rough floorboard announced the presence of someone Dolohov had been waiting.

"Do you, by any chance, know of a person called T.M. Riddle?" the person whispered.

"Yes and No. " Dolohov answered .

"Do you know where he lives?"

"He lives on the slope of the Mount of Betrayal."

Only after they confirmed each other's identity with conversation that meant nothing to an outsider, did Avery dare to sit down.

Swiftly, Dolohov performed an anti-eavesdropping charm with his wand under the table. They sat in silence, but neither touched the beer in front of them. Ten minutes later, Dolohov stared at his watch in irritation.

"Avery, what has happened with Macnair? He should know not to be late with such meeting."

"I bet it's about his eye again. Have you not heard how he complained of it after the last time we make the move against that Potter boy? He was muttering something like his new eye had dislocated again after we rouse him. "

"Macnair was the one who bought us into this. He had better not get us into trouble." Dolohov scorned as he rubbed his sore ankle. It took him a painful night to regrow the ankle that had been completely _crushed_ by that blasted dog. According to the healer, his ankle was not ever going to heal completely. He would forever walk with a limp.

What urged the three Death Eaters first to act secretly behind Voldemort's back was their mutual hatred for the Potter boy. That boy was the reason that they failed their Lord. Macnair's hatred had been the deepest, as it was he who lost an eye during the battle in the Department of Mysteries. But now Dolohov's hatred towards the boy was building real fast, as the boy caused him to be kicked back into Azkaban, a place that had caged him for over 13 years. A place he loathed above all. The boy was so lucky. Indeed, simply too lucky for his own good. A day would come when his luck failed him. When that day came, Dolohov was going to take full advantage of it, and the boy would _suffer_.

"Did you hear the tone of Malfoy? Sounds like he hasn't been caught and tossed into Azkaban like we did." Avery groaned under his breath. And Malfoy was the other reason why the three of them were scheming together. The three of them had joined Voldemort around the same time as Malfoy did. What made Malfoy Voldemort's right hand, but they merely members of the inner circle, had nothing to do with ability, in their opinion. Rather, it was because of Malfoy's aristocratic ancestry. The three of them were pureblood, no doubt, but their blood had been neither as pure nor as noble as that of Malfoy. That's why they had to tolerate Malfoy's command and pretend that they _worship_ him in order to satisfy his over boosted esstem. They had had enough. In order to get a higher ranking and to gain the Dark Lord's favuor, what they had to do was to capture the Potter boy, who was without doubt Dark Lord's needle in the eye that he desperately wanted to eliminate.

"Seems Macnair decided to grace us with his presence finally. "

After the exchange of password, Macnair sat down. Both of his dull grey eyes looked normal at first glance, but if observed long enough, one can notice that every now and then his right pupil would disappear to the back of his skull, leaving the eye completely white. Dolohov scolded Macnair for being late, and was annoyed to find himself lightly brushed off by Macnair. Avery interrupted at that moment to stop the two from rowing.

"Come on, get off each other's throat and start doing what we're here to do. Have you found out anything about that black dog?"

"We all knew what we have seen. Sirius Black fell through that veil in Department of Mystery. There's no way that he was getting out. He _is_ dead." Said Macnair gruntingly.

"Then you reckon it was pure coincidence that a black dog that looked exactly like Black's animagus form happened to come across us when we were about to capture Potter? " It was Dolohov's turn to grunt.

Avery stretched his prematurely balding head. "Well, let's not forget that it is Sirius Black who we are talking about. That man became an animagus when he was still in Hogwarts. That man escaped Azkaban." Dolohov's whole body stiffened at the mention of that hell of a prison "So why can't he pull another stunt and escape death? For all we know, it may well be related to the fact that he is an animagus. . ."

Doholov slammed his mug down, spilling its content over the wooden table. "I have tried to look up about animagus since that day. So far I could find nothing that indicates being an animagus can help someone avoid his soul being sucked into the realm of Death. And we will know if that blasted dog is Black or not as soon as we get our hands on it. The more pressing matter is Potter. You heard what our Lord said today. We are not in his good grace now. We need to secure our places. And we need to act fast _and_ with a good plan. We failed with our first strike, though that opportunity was unexpected. No matter what, we are now _exposed_. We have to get Potter before words of our unauthorized attack reach the Dark Lord's ears."

"Then why are we sitting here at all? We should be making our strike now!"

"Macnair, I thought you lost your eye, not your brain. Or is it the other way round? We can't just jump into their house without being killed by all those wards. We will have no chance once that boy got back to school."

"I can't agree to that." A fourth, sharp voice interrupted.

The three of them froze.

It was a voice that Dolohov was so used to. A voice that he hated so. A voice that accompanied him in the dark hours in Azkaban... a mad laughter that haunted almost his every waking second in Azkaban.

"Bellatrix Lestrange. "

There was something amiss with the mad woman. The mad glint in her blue eyes was there. Lurking behind those depths, however, were emotions of other kinds – hatred and ... denial?

"I thought you would bring forth the Potter boy today. I'm disappointed." Bellatrix Lestrange was a tall woman, but no taller than the three of them. The slight tilt of her head gave her an air of insufferable arrogance and somehow she managed to stare down at them with an air of superiority.

"Get off us, Lestrange. We don't know what you'ar -"

"You very well know, Avery." It would be a fatal mistake to overlook Bellatrix's intelligence because of her madness. She was mad. But she was even more clever. A deadly combination. "I know what you've done, Avery. You did your trick with imperius curse. You got what you wanted, thinking no one except you three noticed. " The tilt of her month, the sickly satisfied glint in her eyes, was of a spider whose prey was caught securely in her carefully lay web.

Avery grabbed Macnair's forearm to prevent him from reaching his wand.

Dolohov's eyes fixed onto Bellatrix's. "Apparently we were wrong. What do you want?"

Bellatrix's horrid laughter stung his ear so. "Dolohov, my dear comrade. Straight to the point as always. I will just tell you what I want. I want _in_."

"No way I'm working with a mad woman like -" Macnair's voice died in his throat the moment Bellatrix's lips pressed to a firm line. Without the fake smile/smirk, the menace positively radiated from every inch of her body.

"I am not asking for permission. You will all be dead the moment I let _slip _what you have done behind Voldemort's back. Deny me, I will slip. Obey me, I will provide you a plan to capture Potter. You have no choice. None at all. "

Macnair's face turned white, then red, then a sickly grayness as Bellatrix's words sank in. Doholov knew his face colour must have mirrored that of Macnair's.

Bellatrix laughed in triumphant, watching their faces change. She laughed so hard that her gaunt body shook and vibrated violently. The mad laughter rose above the raging music in the background, flooding the thoughts of the three scheming men.

"But... how do you suppose we can get Potter? We won't follow your plan if it leads us to failure and exposure."

"I've got my perfect plan after a short stroll to St. Mungo's. Potter _will_ fall into my web. I knew my dear cousin's godson's weakness very well."

Doholov didn't envy Potter in the least bit. He might as well start to pity him, having Bellatrix Lestrange setting her wicked mind on him.

* * *

It has been a week since Harry and Sirius visited Godric's Hollow. Harry had not been any wiser than before about what happened there, as Sirius has refused to 'talk' or explain just yet. Harry had not got a lot of free time to contemplate what happened there, anyway, as he was too preoccupied with practicing the new Concealment Charm. 

When it came to the agreed moment to cast the Concealment Charm, Harry hesitated.

"Sirius, are you absolutely sure about this? I don't want to risk your life."

"We are already tied by more bonds than we can count, Harry, which is exactly why this would not be too hard for you to cast – our bond is already so strong. The day your father named me your Godfather, my life, my destiny is irrevocably entwined with your destiny. It is not much different to the type of bond formed after a witch or wizard become in debt of another. Which brings up our other bonds – I m in your debt because you saved me from the fate of dementor's kiss in your third year. You are in my debt for I nearly died for you. The list can go on and on. But my point still is – it won't be a problem for you to cast this Concealment Charm on me, as the basis of this charm is the existing bond between the caster and the subject. Our bond is strong enough for it to build on. You well know that I have faith in your ability. Just do it. Trust _yourself_ and trust _me_. "

Harry nodded with renewed resolution. _For Sirius_, _I can do it_, he told himself.

"_tego texi tectum_" the soft pronunciation of the incantation was accompanied by a series of complex wrist movement that he had practiced nearly a thousand times before. Exactly as the last syllable of the incantation left his mouth, his wand was point to the spot midway between Sirius's clear blue eyes. For a moment that seemed to last for eternity, Harry lost his eyesight to the surrounding. Floods of memories and emotion flowed to and fro through his wand between his and Sirius's mind. The exchange was in such quantity and tremendous speed that Harry couldn't discern one memory or one thought from another. He didn't know if it was from Sirius or from himself. All the while he was aware of the flow of pure magical energy from his very core via his wand to the connection between him and Sirius, silently re-forging it and strengthening it.

The first thing Harry was aware of after the overloading of images and thoughts and emotions was the pair of clear blue eyes in front of him. Somehow his knees had buckled and his was kneeling on the floor, his eyes level with Sirius's. Staring into the crystal clear depth, Harry was conscious of something new at the back of his mind. Or rather he had discovered the presence of something that had long been hidden in his mind. It was a wall that separated him and another being. He could feel waves of anticipation and joy seeping through the wall into his mind from that other being. He knew that all he had to do was to knock politely on the door connecting him and the other being, Sirius, and he would be welcomed in.

Sirius's wink was accompanied by a voice that Harry had missed so much.

_/What about a walk to the park to see if the concealment charm really did work?/_

In his mind, the voice was as clear as if it had been whispered into his ear.

Harry's face split into a wide grin.

_/Sure!/_ He thought, his grin further widened as Sirius hopped up and down enthusiastically.

The newfound freedom and happiness was exhilarating. The closeness of two souls, finally at peace with the world around them, finally settled after such a long and lonely sail in their lives. They found each other for the first time.

After Harry returned with Sirius, with several people in the park staring at him strangely because to them, Harry had been wearing a grin for no reason at all, Harry found the phoenix feather given to him standing on its end. And start quivering and madly ran across a parchment. It was Remus, who invited Harry to Grimmauld Place to spend the rest of his summer there, just as Remus had promised.

* * *

Please review! Give me some idea what how do you think it is going! 

Next chapter: the reunion with old friends

tego texi tectum: to cover, bury, conceal, hide, protect, shield.


	9. A Birthday Gift

Disclaimer: Harry Potter will never be mine

AN1: well, sorry for the long wait! It's not like that I want to abandon this, as I really have given a lot of thought to it and I think I really sort of have cooked up a plot for it. However, life has been crazily busy ever since the new semester started. I hope I can have more time to work on this as now everything seems to cool down a bit... Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter. Please stick with me and I will try my best to update more frequently!

and to answer someone's question: I hope/think/believe that I was not suffering from the WBS (ie writer's block syndrome)...

AN2: there are a lot of necessary but seemingly trivial matters to be covered in this chapter... and somehow it is turning emotional in the middle. Hope it is not too strange!

AN3: words in are said via Harry and Sirius's telephatic link

* * *

Chapter 9 A Birthday Gift 

The sun was blinding. Harry lifted one hand to wipe off the stream of sweat dripping down his forehead, while the other closed around his trunk and gave it a half-hearted tug. The wooden trunk was so bulky and heavy that it took Harry nearly twenty minutes to haul it out of his bedroom, down the stairs, and out of the door. As soon as he was out of the door, he could hear the cold metallic click of door locking securely behind him.

Harry sighed, lifting his hand again to shield his eyes from the offending midday sunlight.

/hey, give me a hand with this, will you?/ Harry stared at the dog sitting in the barely existent shade given by a short bush.

/Come on, it can't be that heavy. / Sirius, in his dog form, was breathing noisily, at least to Harry, through his month, his tongue slightly out tasting the hot air.

/Why don't you come and try if it is really that heavy?/ Harry couldn't help but gave Sirius the 'dead-glare'.

/You need both a strong body and a strong mind to survive, Harry. How can you defeat anyone if you can't even move your own trunk?/

Harry really longed to wipe the smug expression on Sirius's dog face off. Through their newly strengthened connection, Harry could feel the laziness and irritation at the hot weather radiated from the corner in his mind that was Sirius. He gave another drag in frustration, and his trunk responded by only moving several inches. He regretted forgetting to perform the feather-weight charm on the trunk before he attempted to move that out of his room.

"Need a hand?" Harry's 'savior' finally arrived.

"Remus!" Harry let out a relieved sign.

"Wait a minute," Remus fumbled around in his worn out muggle jeans for a moment before taking out a parchment. He looked at his watch.

"Ok, we have got to go, Harry."

All through the process, Remus had not so much as glanced towards the large black dog that was sitting close to Harry and that was clearly visible to Harry. Harry was really relieved that the concealment charm had worked so well.

Harry touched Padfoot's hairy head and touched the Portkey with the other hand.

12 Grimmauld Place was just as it ever was. The black structure seemed to absorb all the heat that fell on it, and radiated menace and a sense of forbiddance of its own.

"Who will I find inside?" Harry asked.

"The Weasleys are already here. Also Hermione. Several Order members may be here to meet, but I am not sure who... "

"Will Kreacher be there?" _If he is, I am not sure what I will do to him._ The unsaid part of the message was blatant.

"Professor Dumbledore has already seen to it that Kreacher is moved away. He is adopted into a kind wizard family. Doubtlessly, Kreacher was not at all keen to be removed from his mistress. "

Harry was keen to drive the conversation away from that foul creature. It was enough to know that he wouldn't have to put up with its presence anymore. He knew he wouldn't stand the sight of the traitor.

"Then... what about Buckbeak?" Harry could feel Sirius's fondness towards the hippogriff that helped save his life once. "Is he still inside the house?"

"No... cause no one in the Headquarter is free to feed him now. We have disclosed the secret to Hagrid, who agreed with much enthusiasm to find a place for him... "

"Will Tonks be here? She seemed really busy the last time I saw her. And what about Moody?" Harry hoped that he appeared casual enough in asking about Moody. It was crucial to make sure that he would not be here...

"Tonks... I am afraid you won't be seeing her around a lot these days. All Ministry employees are working overtime these days, in fact. Moody was quite busy with Order business now. So don't expect to see him around a lot either. " Harry thought he saw a moment of doubt on Remus's face on why Harry would ask about Moody in particular. Harry hoped that the suspicion would only be fleeting and would never cross Remus's mind again.

/Be a little more tactful next time! It is so awkward to ask for someone like that. /

/Shut up, Sirius. I am the one struggling with getting enough information for your safety here!/

/You don't need to. I have told you this concealment charm is different from other invisibility charm or disillusionment charm. Moody's Mad-eye won't be able to see through it!/

/But it's better safe than sorry.../

"Harry? Harry!"

Remus's worried voice snapped Harry out of his telepathic conversation with Sirius.

"Are you OK? You were spacing out. Let's get inside, it's too hot out here."

"Yeah... " Harry mumbled under his breath.

/Look what you have done! You just gave him the proof that I am mental./

/As if he need further proof.../

/Sirius!/ Harry said indignantly through the link.

The hallway leading to the basement kitchen was empty and as grimy looking as ever. Harry followed Remus in silence, with Sirius trotting right next to him. Looking at the slightly hunched back of Remus, Harry felt guilt of not relieving him of his pain of losing the last close friend rising in his throat.

Harry knew very well that Sirius could feel what he was feeling. But Sirius made no comment.

"Harry's here!" Remus swung the wooden door open and spoke to the inhabitants inside. He moved away from the doorway and let Harry move in and see what was inside.

What greeted him was Hermione, Ron, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, who were all sitting around the sole large table in the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley however shot up from her chair the moment her eyes settled on Harry. Before his vision was blocked as Mrs. Weasley flung herself at him, he caught a glance of someone dressed in black crunching in front of the large fireplace, apparently talking with somebody.

All coherent thought and breath was squeezed out of Harry's body as Mrs. Weasley gave him her bear hug. Then she clutched him with her iron grip and held him at arm's distance to study him.

"Harry, you are so thin! You really haven't been feeding yourself, have you? I was so worried, especially after I heard about the attack on you. Were you hurt? Are you sleeping well? Are you -"

Harry gently but firmly detached Mrs. Weasley's iron grip from his arms. His resentment towards Mrs. Weasley's prejudice against Sirius last year was quenched a bit after Sirius's return, but it was still there. And he had to remind himself again that he had to act angry and dejected. It would be what people would expect of him as they didn't know the truth about Sirius.

"Enough, Mrs. Weasley. I am as fine as I can be." Harry was surprised at how easily the emotionless voice had come out of his mouth.

Mrs. Weasley froze. The atmosphere of the stone-walled kitchen froze.

"Harry, we – we're just ... " Hermione's hand twisted in her lap.

"Harry, what we have discussed, I thought you understood -"

"Remus, I'd rather not talk about this right now. Have anyone found out anything about the three Death Eaters?" Harry's guilt rose and expanded rapidly. Perhaps he had overdone his act?

The person crunching at the fireplace erected himself. Harry could tell who that person was even before the person turned -- the shoulder length oily black hair was unmistakable.

"We are still not sure how Voldemort could have sent three Death Eaters there. Our source found no indication that Voldemort had." Remus said.

"Perhaps your source isn't as valuable as he wants others believe him to be, after all." said Harry, as he saw with satisfaction that the 'source' had heard every word of it. "I could have died because of this, you know." Harry turned to Snape and said in such an arrogant manner that would definitely remind Snape of James Potter.

"If my information is not incorrect, Potter," Snape spat with a sneer, "if a certain idiot has not chosen to foolishly run outside of the protection ward in the first place, nothing could have happened even if hundreds of Death Eaters had tried. A pity that the idiot hasn't died."

"Who said that I want to live, anyway?"

"Harry! How could you say such a thing? " Hermione squeaked, shooting up from her seat, her face flushed with anger.

_Sorry, Hermione, but I have to play along._ Harry apologized in silence before speaking. "Well, what's left for me now? I don't see the point of living, anywa- "

SLAP!

Harry's head spin to a side and his face sting horribly. Wide-eyed, Harry stared at his tear-stained attacker, his hand moved to nurse his reddened face.

"How dare you say such a thing! Sirius died to save you! He would have wanted you to live properly!"

Anger flared up. Harry was so tired of people telling him who would have wanted him to do what.

"Well, Sirius is all sane and cares about my well-being all of a sudden now that he's _gone_! Who was the one who said that Sirius was irrational and tried to egg me up last year? "

Tears split down Hermione's face and she ran out of the room. Everyone was left in stunned silence.

SLAP!

It was only after Harry felt the other side of his face stinging that he realized he was slapped again. This time it was Ginny, her eyes shooting daggers, her fists clenched at her waist. "This is for being a selfish fool! It is not only you who grieve for his death!" She spat, and rushed off after Hermione.

"Fine friends you've got, Potter." Snape threw the words at Harry with a smirk before gliding out of the room.

Harry felt a hand at his shoulder and turned his stunned head. Ron was standing beside him.

"What do you want now? Slap me too?" Harry snapped in annoyance, hoping that Ron could just leave him alone. However, Ron just looked at him with a flicker of sympathy in his eyes. Then it was replaced by sadness.

"Hermione regrets about her attitude towards Sirius, as my mother also does." He turned to leave Harry alone.

Harry threw himself dejectedly down a battered armchair nearby. /See what trouble you have gotten me into, Sirius./

/Sorry. I didn't know that I was the source of so many rows before. You do deserve what they have done to you, though./

Harry groaned in exasperation.

* * *

After knocking, Snape swept into Dumbledore's office without waiting for approval. He decided that he was definitely in a foul mood and settled his face into a slight scowl. 

Dumbledore was at his usual place behind his desk. The fancy silver apparatus on the headmaster's desk could no longer divert his attention. Snape had always suspected that the silvery apparatus, rather than having a real function of their own, were merely put there so as to distract and impress. Fawkes the phoenix somehow bared a similar function, in Snape's opinion, but the phoenix in question was nowhere to be seen.

As usual, Dumbledore fixed the intruder into the office with his famous piercing blue gaze. The amusement in his gaze was no doubt due to Snape's obvious foul mood.

"Severus, have a seat." The voice was more light-hearted than it had been since the end of the last term. The slight stiffness in his posture was gone too. Snape wouldn't admit to anyone, but he was relieved to see that the headmaster was slowly returning to his old collected demeanor.

With a wave of his hand, the mountain of paper work on the desk aligned themselves to a neat pile and flow aside, clearing a space for the cup of steaming tea that was slowing landing in front of Snape.

"Potter just arrived at the Headquarter."

The stiffness slipped back. Snape was sure no one else could have discerned the subtle soberness that slipped into the ancient face. Snape really did hate Potter. The insufferable brat that sought to drag everybody down with him...

"How was he?"

"Apparently he was still in a state of mental instability. He claimed that he didn't find living meaningful anymore, which agitated our brainy Miss Granger so much that she slapped him. Then our brilliant Mr Potter retorted tactlessly, which lead to Miss Granger's apparent emotional trauma. "

"Remus told me he has been doing better... "

"Which he certainly is not. He is a danger to those around him. "

"Severus." Dumbledore shook his head. "Do be more forgiving every now and then, even if you can't show it. Harry has lost his family. "

Snape had been avoiding thinking of the man that had died out of foolishness. It was not the feeling of triumph or satisfaction he had anticipated. And he was not about to start wasting his time to figure out how he really felt about his long time enemy's death.

"That is no excuse for blowing up at everyone. That is no excuse for running out of the protection ward, risking everything that we have done to ensure his safety. He was ungrateful, but now it has turned into another level of self-centreness which cannot be allowed any further. I really doubt your decision in giving him permission to use magic outside Hogwarts."

"You know I have my reasons. I need him to be able to protect himself." Dumbledore paused for a moment. "I cannot afford to make another mistake. I will not make another mistake as I did last year. I will not."

Snape loathed the way Dumbledore just could direct the conversation towards the way he wanted so easily. But he was not to be distracted this time.

"But the boy _is_ unstable. He is acting quite strangely, if you ask me. For all we know, the enemy might be feeding him false information again. It could explain what drove the boy into the night street in the first place! He might have thought that he need to play hero again and -"

"Enough, Severus. I am sure Harry is as determined as me in not committing the same mistake. He will not be manipulated again as easily. Sooner or later, he will come around. I have faith in him."

Snape clutched his fists under the table top. Then released them. And then clutched them again. "If you say so. You know that I trust your judgment, Albus." _And I just hope that those judgments would not doom us. _

"I know, Severus... I know."

* * *

The atmosphere at the dining table was dreadful. Mrs. Weasley wore a forced smile. She tried very hard to look cheerful, and kept piling food to all the other's plates except her own. Every now and then, one could hear her shriek of apologies at missing the plate and dirtying another person's clothes. 

Harry was starting to regret acting so cold towards her when he arrived. The quality of Mrs. Weasley's food had always been supreme. However, this time her mind clearly had not been on her cooking. If a dish was not too salty, it was too sweet, or too sour, or one could tell that no flavouring had not been added at all. Harry could tell from the other people's grimy face to know that they were as wary of the food as he was, yet none dared to voice his or her opinion over the food, and none dared to ask Mrs. Weasley stop piling food to them with a painfully forced smile or suggest that she should eat something herself – because that would make her realize how bad her food had been.

Harry noticed several absentees from the Weasleys. Percy's absence Harry had already expected, but Mr. Weasley, Bill and Charlie were nowhere to be seen also. Harry presumed that they must be working overtime, whether for the Ministry or for the Order, Harry had no idea.

Harry continued his silent study of the people sitting around the table. Hermione, with her eyes still a bit swollen and red, Harry noticed with guilt, was poking at her plate and stirring the food around mindlessly. Harry hoped her lack of appetite was all because of the questionable quality of the food, but not because she was still mad at him... Every now and then, Ginny would lean over to Hermione and speak to her with lowered voice. Gradually Hermione's expression start to loosen up, no doubt thanks to Ginny's effort to lift her spirit.

Ron, on the other hand, sat next to him and was incidentally also playing the food in his plate around with his fork. Harry was quite sure it was because Ron had had enough of the food. He was uncharacteristically quiet.

Fred and George, who had just returned before dinner, had long stopped attempting to consume their food.

"Hey, don't you think the smashed potato taste a bit funny?" after his first bite of food, Fred said to George in a hushed voice that carried easily over the whole table.

"Be quiet about it, Fred! Mum will hear us!" George said in a voice that was louder than that of Fred's.

Afterwards there had been several half-hearted attempts at jokes from the twins. But at the lack of response, the jokes soon died down.

Remus tried to make conversation with Mrs. Weasley, though with little success. He just couldn't carry the conversation on a topic with her further than three sentences. Mrs. Weasley's mind simply failed to focus on a topic.

Padfoot, who was crunching under the table besides his legs, was also silent. From their link, Harry could only discern that he was in a thoughtful mode, but no other emotion seeped through.

To escape from the dreadful situation, Harry excused himself from the table with what he hoped a suitably mournful voice. He tried to walk around the house, but found the atmosphere too dreadful. He fled to his own room in the second floor and flung himself down the bed.

Harry just lied down and let himself loose in thoughts.

He was roused back to the world of the living when he felt Sirius's approach towards the room. He looked at his watch and was startled to see that it was nearly midnight.

/Sirius, I hate doing this./

Padfoot jumped up the bed and lay his head down on his paws. He studied Harry with his light blue gaze.

/I know. I know you don't want to deceive your friends, but it is for their own good as well as ours. /

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his wild black hair.

/Harry, could you open up your trunk? I want to show you something./

/What?/ Harry asked, though he was already on his feet, making his way towards the trunk near the door. He opened the trunk, and Padfoot started to rummage the stuff inside trunk with his snout. After a minute, he raised his head with a little bag between his jaws.

/Though it is a bit early, but Happy Birthday, Harry./ Sirius said via the telepathic link while carefully placing the small bag made of rough brown cloth down onto Harry's outstretched hand.

Staring at the little brown bag that was not larger than half of his palm, Harry was bewildered. For one thing, it totally slipped his mind that tomorrow was his birthday in the excitement accompanying Sirius's return. For another, he wondered when Sirius had the time to get him a present. It was not like that there was Crookshank to help him order things via owl mail.

/What's it? It's not some kind of joke, is it?/ Harry asked while studying the feather-light bag with some apprehension.

/Of course not! / There was clear indignation in the Sirius's voice in his head. /I thought... as this is the first time I can be with you in person to celebrate your birthday since your first, I thought I would give you something special... or rather, I would help a certain someone to help to give you something special. /

/What do you mean? /

/Just open it. I will explain afterwards. /

Harry pulled loose the string that held the opening of the bag together. He turned it upside down in hope of shaking the content inside out. He waited. And waited. Yet nothing fell out of the bag.

/Sirius, what -/

Something akin to electric shock spread from the hand holding the bag to the whole of Harry's body. Harry would have dropped the bag if he could, but the hand holding the bag was rigid as stone. He wanted to shiver, but the control of his body was lost to him. His awareness of the surrounding was shut down.

Panic should have been rising, but strangely there was calmness in him. And slowly warmth spread. The feeling of something so distantly familiar... the feeling of being enveloped in the supple and secure arms of a mother ... the feeling of safety so alien yet Harry knew he once possessed... so long ago...

_Harry. Are you surprised?_

It was a voice Harry recognized. First he heard it in a scream that could freeze his very soul, the second he heard it in a memory of someone else.

_Where are you now? Where am I and where is your dad? Are we together, perhaps celebrating your sixteenth birthday? Or did we fail to survive the reign of terror, now lying cold underground in a tomb? For this particular possibility, I couldn't help but want to leave something behind for my beloved son, you. You are special, Harry. You are my treasure. Could you imagine my pride and my joy the first time I saw my emerald green eyes upon another human being? You brought happiness and especially **hope** to both your father and me, you are the strength for us to go on in this time of craziness and darkness. Your father and I knew the road ahead for you will not be smooth. We were grieved to have such a cruel faith installed for you even before the first ray of light of this world fell upon your innocent face. We cannot guarantee that we will be there for you physically forever. But our heart will always be with you. Remember this whenever life's harshness becomes too much. Remember this. _

_Happy Birthday, Harry. I love you, my son. _

Harry tried very hard to suppress the sob that threatened to break out. Waves of sadness and happiness drowned him. Dimly, he was aware of the old bed beneath him and the dark surrounding again.

/How, Sirius. How? /

/I found this when we were at Godric's Hollow. This was done at the day of your first birthday, Harry. Lily wanted to leave something behind for you. As you probably knew, she excelled at charm. Therefore she played this little trick of recording her voice and preserving it for 15 years, so that the voice can't be retrieved until the day of your 16th birthday. And that no one can open and activate the charm save you. /

Harry stared at the bag in his hand. He clutched it tightly and brought it close to his chest.

/Sirius, I just can't thank you enough. Do you know how much this means to me...?/

/You are welcome, Harry. As long as you are happy, I will do anything for you. You know I will. /

/Thank you./ Harry gave Padfoot a long bear hug. Padfoot kept wagging his tail, apparently proud of what he has done.

Harry woke to someone's knocking on the door.

"Harry, it's time to wake up. Harry!" The grogginess in Ron's voice betrayed how tired Ron was. He must have just been roused from bed.

Groggily, Harry grabbed for his glasses on the bedside table and dragged himself up.

After washing up, Harry checked that his gift from Sirius and his mother was placed securely in his trunk. Then he made his way down to the kitchen, with Padfoot tailing at his side.

Harry immediately spotted Hermione sitting beside the table. He had already made up his mind after listening to his mother's voice countless times last night.

"Hermione."

"Harry."

They avoided each other's eyes in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry." They both blurted. Somehow it made the whole apologizing deal more difficult.

"I am the one who need to apologize." They said at the same time again. Both couldn't help but grinned sheepishly at each other. Harry could tell from the sullen expression afterwards that he was not in fact entirely forgiven, but a temporary truce was better than none.

The breakfast went in silence.

In fact, the day went in relative silence too.

Remus left the Headquarter after breakfast was finished. Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, returned briefly to grab lunch and promised that he and Bill and Charles would be back for dinner.

Mrs. Weasley could be seen bustling from room to room the whole day. Said she was determined to clean every room every tiles and transform the house into a more user-friendly place to live and work in. Harry just couldn't get a hold of her to apologize.

Hermione and Ginny were busy gossiping, though they insisted they had important matter to discuss, in the room they shared, and couldn't be seen except during meal time.

Harry had attempted to play chess with Ron several times. Since his mind was not at all on the game, he gave up trying after being slaughtered a few times. Ron soon retreated to his room to read books on Quidditch.

Even Sirius decided to lose himself in memories of his past, roaming the large family house on his own nearly the whole day.

Harry sat quite moodily at the dining table, waiting for someone to enter. Dinner should be starting in an hour.

After last night, Harry was reminded that today was his birthday. It was the first time ever that his birthday was spent in the presence of the people that he cared and loved, perhaps with the exception of his first birthday. One couldn't help but expect a somewhat more enthusiastic approach to his birthday. However, no one seemed to remember. Which Harry decided was really strange, as Hermione, Ron and Hagrid had never forgotten his birthday since they had known each other.

It was not that his birthday was such a big deal, Harry kept telling himself. There were enough matters on people's mind nowadays as it was without having to think about how to celebrate someone's birthday. Harry couldn't blame them. He shouldn't brood on such trivial matter. More importantly, he should already be contented. Yes, he really was, to receive such a great gift from his mother. Who would have thought it possible to hear one deceased mother to speak to you? Harry was really grateful for that gift...

"Harry dear, could you please help me to set up the table?" Mrs. Weasley's voice interrupted Harry's string of thought.

"Oh... Sure. "

Harry set up the dishes and utensils as Mrs. Weasley instructed. Mrs. Weasley, on the other hand, was busy over the stove and several pots at once. Since the dreadful dinner last night, food had returned to a somehow more normal standard, yet from the food, one could tell that there was something amiss.

The sudden stop of Mrs. Weasley's movement over the pot startled Harry. She just all of a sudden stood rigidly over one pot, her hands slowly rubbing over her old but clean apron. Then she turned and sat down next to Harry. Harry only stared, unsure what to make of the situation.

"Harry, I'm sorry."

"What?" Harry was very much aware of what she was referring to, but emotionally he couldn't accept it was really happening.

"I'm sorry for how I treated Sirius. I was just jealous of him, Harry. I knew you when you were just into Hogwarts. Sirius had known you just two years then, but you trust him. You love him like a father. You told him everything. I don't know why I did it, I just don't know. But I knew I have been wrong the moment I knew of his ... his death," tears were welling in those kind motherly eyes, "how could I have treated someone, a tortured soul like his, someone who cared about you above his own life, like that? I was wrong. Will you forgive me? Will you forgive a fool woman's mistakes?"

Padfoot was already in the room. Harry didn't notice him entering.

"Of course I'll forgive you, Mrs. Weasley. Frankly, I was mad at you, mad at how coldly you have treated Sirius. But Mrs. Weasley, as far as I remember, you were the first woman to give me a motherly hug. I thank you for that, letting me know how it feels to have a mother..."Harry was quite embarrassed to have to put his feeling into words, but he knew he had to do that for Mrs. Weasley's sake.

/Yea, I agree, Harry. And tell her from me that I have been insufferable last year. And rude to her sometimes, so it was only natural that she didn't exhibit a lot of hospitality towards me. Of course I can blame my inappropriate behaviour on being trapped in this damn house and always habouring bad mood. No matter how, if she thinks she was at fault, I definitely was too. /

"Oh, Harry, I'm glad to hear that..." Mrs. Weasley rubbed her eyes with the cloth of her apron. She was crying and smiling at the same time.

"Sirius told me once... before he fell... that he wanted to apologize to you too. He thought he had been rude, insufferable at times, and he wouldn't blame anyone for being hostile to him, really... "

"No, I shouldn't have acted like that. I regretted so much on something that I shouldn't have said... I'm really sorry..."

Harry's resentment towards Mrs. Weasley's treatment of Sirius vanished without a trace now that he saw how much Mrs. Weasley blamed herself for it.

"Mrs. Weasley, please don't. Sirius is gone. Let it drop..."

"Harry, I think it is better late than never. We all have performed terrible mistakes in the past year. But we shouldn't wait until we are given a chance at redemption. We should fight for it. That's why it is really important for me that you understand how sorry I am. "

"I understand. I will forgive and I will forget, as will Sirius." Harry said in a steady voice, his hand reaching out to take Mrs. Weasley's callused hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks, Harry." The steadiness of her voice was precariously maintained. "I am relieved. Thank you. "

"Really, you don't need to!" Harry tried to give his best reassuring smile.

Mrs. Weasley stood and continued bustling over the pots that were starting to give out strange smell, as if protesting for the lack of attention for such a long period of time. Seemingly with spring in her steps, Mrs. Weasley gave several simple wave of her wand, and the strange smell was gone, replaced by the more familiar aroma of home-cooked food. Harry inhaled deeply and sighed in contentment. He could tell that Sirius was doing the same too.

"Harry, sometimes when I think really hard on why I treated Sirius like that," Mrs. Weasley said, her wand still moving to direct the food and flavouring to their proper places, "I guess to certain extent I was afraid of him."

"Afraid of him? You thought he really was a murderer? "

"No, it's not that! It's because... you see, he was so much like Fred and George. Troublemakers that wouldn't settle down for anything. I was afraid someday Fred and George would somehow follow a path similar... always looking for trouble... someday it would backfire on them. It must be what I was thinking..."

"Are you still mad that they ran out of school? I'm sorry I just gave them the money without telling you, but it's their dream, and I didn't need the money... "

"No, dear, you don't be sorry. I have thought it over this summer... it was in their nature to invent, to joke, to make other people laugh. It would be wiser to let them be. It would be better then forcing them into an office and paperwork and let them rake havoc there because they don't like it. I trust that they will find a way to help in this harsh world. They are bright, but they just don't know how to use their strength. "

Harry's eyes could be any wider. "You really think that? I thought you would be so against their opening their joke job. Have you told them? They'd be-"

"Of course not! I'd sooner die than admit that to them! " Mrs. Weasley yelled quite crossly. "Well, maybe I'd admit it to them, eventually, but not now, not so soon. I'd not give them the false idea that I approve of the things they have done! Quitting school like that... "

Harry tried very hard not to snort.

Muttering fervently under her breath, Mrs. Weasley started to move the pots from the stove to the wooden. The food smelled positively delicious.

"Harry dear, could you tell the kids to come? Dinner is ready. "

"Ok." Harry stood to leave.

"Wait."

Harry turned back towards Mrs. Weasley.

"Happy Birthday, Harry."

Harry's mind couldn't catch up with what was being said for a moment.

"Oh. Thanks. I thought – I thought..."

"You thought we'd forget? That's impossible for so many people to forget your birthday at once! We just thought... we agreed that we shouldn't throw a large birthday party now... cause he's just gone, we thought you wouldn't be happy if we celebrate... "

"Yes. Thank you for being so thoughtful." Harry smiled sadly at Mrs. Weasley and then turned to leave the kitchen.

Harry vowed to himself that he would never forget how thoughtful his friends had been... he would not forget how much they cared about him, how they always consider his feeling. He was really touched.

* * *

Please Review! in the next chapter, they would finally get back to Hogwarts, and hopefully there would be some action!


	10. The Way Back

Disclaimer: nothing Harry Potter-related belongs to me.

AN: really sorry for the lateness. I really really want to continue this so much, and I will really try to get the next one out faster…

For this chapter… mainly is about OWLs results and getting back to Hogwarts. I worked quite some time with the owl thing, cause I m not very sure of how it works. So, after some struggling, I came up with like this :

OWLs subject: compulsory: 1. Herbology 2.DADA 3.Charms 4. Transfiguration 5. Astronomy 6. Potion 7. History of Magic

Electives: divination , 'arithmancy', Ancient runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies

Hope this will make sense.

Anyway… on with the story. Beware that… this is a un-beta-ed version and I am not a native English speaker. So there are bound to be grammar mistakes and such. Bear with me I am trying my best…

* * *

Chapter 10 The Way Back

Time flew, and soon the summer holiday drew to an end. Nothing _special_ happened these days, just the occasion unexplained accidents, unexplained disappearance, panic, distrust and dispute surrounding the beginning of a large war.

Harry had caught up with the news ever since he got to the Headquarter. From what he observed from the Daily Prophet, which he now learnt not to trust in full, people had not received the news of Voldemort's sudden return very well. There were more and more complaints and dissatisfaction towards the Ministry in general, and the Minister for Magic in particular. Fudge was as keen as ever to hold onto his dear post, but it wouldn't be long before he would be forced to step down and let someone with more talent step in and replace him.

"People are now full of distrust. They are full of anxiety, frustration, and above all, fear. They doubt every person around them, even their own sons and daughters – have they gone to the dark side? Are they planning to harm me? You can see it in the way people act. The number of work place or domestic dispute has been climbing ever since the day the news of You-Know-Who's return has come out. Many of those disputes ended in bloody means and tragedies. " Mr. Weasley said to Harry over dinner one night. Mr. Weasley hadn't returned for dinner that previous week. The dark circles underneath his eyes were quite a scary sight to behold.

"Today I just dealt with a mad tela- telefusion-"

"Television? " Harry offered helpfully.

"Oh, right, television. A mad television that sprouted more than ten tentacles that can move on its own. It kept chasing a woman and her son until it caught them and kept asking if they were Death Eaters and betrayed the husband and kept showing the poor woman and her poor son the things they feared most on its screen. They were locked in the house with the mad television for ten hours before a muggle delivering milk heard their cries."

"Oh… so what become of them…?" Harry asked albeit he hadn't been sure if he really wanted to know.

"They were in shock and already lost their ability to respond to the surrounding by the time rescuers freed them of the mad television. They are now in St. Mungo's. From what I heard, the damage should not be permanent. Bless them… we're still locating the mad man who did this… " Mr. Weasley wiped his mouth with a napkin and threw it down the table. It came into contact with his plate still with some stew in, but he took no deed of it.

"The fact is that _something_ has to be done soon, or else the wizarding world is going to fall into pieces, making it easy for You-Know-Who to seize." He took a long gulp of beer. When he slammed the mug down onto the table, beer split out.

* * *

In early August, owls from Hogwarts appeared, not only with their usual letters of booklists and such, but more importantly, their O.W.Ls result.

On the morning of 1stAugust, the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione were having breakfast at the kitchen as usual. Three owls suddenly swooped in via the door and dropped three large envelopes baring the Hogwarts seal on the three soon to be Sixth Year students.

The three of them quickly retreated from the kitchen and went upstairs into an unused room, hoping to find some privacy.

Harry watched at the envelope in his hand with unease. He exchanged a nervous glance with Ron, who appeared as queasy, if not more, as Harry.

Hermione, on the other hand, was clutching her letter with barely contained excitement.

"Hey, we've been preparing forever for this moment. Let's open it together!" Hermione said in near squeak.

"You first." Ron and Harry said at the same time.

Harry could hear Sirius's amused chuckle in his head. Yet he had no mind to feel undignified.

Throwing the two an offended glare, Hermione ripped the seal on the envelope off. Her eyes rapidly scanned over the parchment. Her eyes slowly widened.

Both Ron and Harry stepped back alarmingly as Hermione's eyes were filled with tears.

"Hermione, don't… I'm sure it's not bad, is it?" Ron reached tentatively towards Hermione's shoulder, but refrained as a sob broke out.

"Oh… I can't… I can't believe it! I … "

Harry was horrified. If Hermione's result was bad, his own would be dreadful. "Hermione, you've done your best. Don't be upset because -"

"Upset?" She was trying to suppress a hiccup, "I can't believe it! Harry, Ron! I get ten O.W.L.s!" she broke into a wide grin and grasped Harry's and Ron's hands and shook them furiously. "I got ten O.W.L.s! I thought I'd not get an Outstanding for DADA, cause I was so sure that the examiner has seen my shield flattered, and - "

Harry and Ron exchanged an exasperated glance as Hermione babbled on.

With some effort, Harry withdrew his hand from Hermione's dead grip.

"Come on, you two, open your envelope!" Hermione said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

/Go on, lad. You'll do fine. / Sirius sent his encouragement via their link.

/Ok… /

Finding strength from the link, Harry steadied his shaking hands and broke the seal of the envelope. He could tell that Ron was doing the same, but his mind was too focused on his own envelope to follow what Ron was doing.

He took out the parchment. With no little trepidation, Harry unfolded it.

Harry scanned over the result letter once. Scanned again. And again. He could hardly believe his eyes.

"How's your results? Come on! " Hermione spoke in anxiety.

"I can't believe it, Hermione! I get 7 O.W.Ls out of 9 subjects I took! Only my divination and history of magic didn't get O.W.L.s!" It was like a huge weight was being removed from Harry's body. He felt so light-headed with incredulity.

Both Hermione and Harry turned to Ron. The expression on his face was one of relieve too.

"I also can't believe my luck! I get 6 O.W.Ls! I thought I was done for Charms! I thought I didn't do that well! Mum will be so happy, she was so afraid that I couldn't even get 4… "

"It's so great that we all get so good results!" Hermione said, engulfing both Harry and Ron in a tight hug at the same time.

"Let's go tell the others!" Ron shouted excitedly as he ran out of the room, with Hermione closely on his heels.

/Congratulations, Harry! I knew you would do fine!/ Sirius was looking at Harry with such pride in his eyes… that could only be described as the pride a parent had for his son.

/Thanks, Sirius./ Harry bent and buried his head into Sirius's thick fur.

He was so grateful that he had got a family member to share this moment with.

"Harry! Are you coming or not?" Ron's excited yell came through the door.

"I'm coming!" Harry replied, straightened and got out of the room.

* * *

Later that day, Harry met Remus as Remus returned to the headquarter. Harry told him his O.W.Ls results.

"Harry, congratulations! You have done a really great job!" Remus smiled and clapped Harry on his shoulder with a rarely shown enthusiasm.

"Thanks…" Harry smiled, scratching the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

What Remus did next startle Harry, as well as the invisible dog besides them – he ruffled Harry's hair. "Don't be embarrassed. I am really proud of you. I am sure your parents and – and Sirius would be too. "

They fell into silence, with Remus's hand rest firmly on Harry's shoulder, lending him support. Harry averted his eyes.

"Yea, I'm sure they would be. And I'm happy too. "

"Harry, I want you to know that… now that … " he cleared his throat and soothed his own coat unnecessarily. "If you need anything. I really mean anything. If you need someone to talk to… or that you are lacking anything… Dumbledore is insisting paying me two salaries now, so I am financially more stable … you know who you can turn to… "

Harry felt absolutely bewildered by his behaviour. But he was warmed nonetheless.

/Give him some response, lad. Save poor Remus. He is now a goldfish out of the water. He never was one for expressing his emotion in words…/

"Remus, thank you. I will never forget this…"

"Oh, you're welcome. " Shoving one of his hands into the pocket of his worn brown coat, Remus ran the other hand through his graying hair. It's fast growing pass his shoulder. Close up, he seemed to have lost even more weigh then before. "Let's get down to the kitchen, shall we? Molly is preparing a fabulous dinner to celebrate your O.W.L.s result."

"Remus, if you don't mind me asking… are you still losing weight?"

Harry could feel his own worry mirrored from the corner of his mind that was Sirius.

"Well, I have been worse."

"But, you really should -"

"See, Harry, you don't have to worry about me. Let me do the worrying, ok? " Remus looked out of the window, studying the setting sun. "Can't you smell the delicious food downstairs? The food must be ready."

Harry decided it would be wiser to let the matter drop.

"By the way, what did you mean by receiving two salaries from Dumbledore?" Harry asked as they nearly finished their descend down to the basement floor.

"Haven't I told you? I'm now working for the Order, and later I'll also be - "

"Harry, Remus, come in!" Mrs. Weasley swung the wooden door of the kitchen open and ushered the two into the crowded kitchen.

It's been a while since so many people were present in the Headquarter. Nearly all of the Weasleys, with the obvious exception of Percy, Tonks, Fletch, and even Hagrid were inside the room. Although it was good to meet so many old faces, Harry doubt if it were prudent to use the Headquarter of the Order for such a personal celebration… but anyway, no one seemed to care.

Remus and he had to be seated separately as there were no two adjacent chairs left.

"Remus, what you were talking about - "

"You will know soon enough!" He had to raise his voice in order for it to carry across the crowded and noisy room

The food was supreme. The atmosphere had never been so in harmony and the ex-Black Manor. Occasion laughter broke out due to the Weasleys twins' infamous jokes. Now that they were really into the joke shop business, they seemed really to have an inexhaustible source of jokes, the main source from which were their customer's response of their products.

"Remus dear, why don't you have some of the mashed potato? You said you loved them very much." Over the bustling of the dinner table, Harry caught Mrs. Weasley talking to Remus. He was particularly drawn to their conversation because there seemed to be something amiss with Mrs Weasley's voice.

"Oh, thanks for offering. But I am really feeling full … I am not that hungry… "

"Why is that? You haven't touched your food yet. " Besides the slight offenceness in her voice, there was something else… Mrs Weasley sounded worried. "Remus, you haven't been …"

At that moment, Mr Weasley and Bill burst out in laughter at a joke the twin had thrown out.

"He didn't really eat that, tell me he didn't!" tears were leaking from Mr Weasley's eyes as his whole lean body shook in incontrollable laughter.

"Of course …" Fred said.

"He did!" followed by George.

"That moment was… "

" Simply priceless! "

The fresh wave of laughter washed out the conversation between Mrs. Weasley and Remus.

Harry didn't notice Sirius's slipping away from him as the Weasley twin each sat down at one side of him to tell him about what they were laughing about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

* * *

The summer pasted relatively uneventfully for Harry. Voldemort had not been making new moves, at least on the surface. Nor had the Order, for all Harry could observe. From Sirius's opinion, he thought it was just the 'calm' before the storm finally broke out, which would not be far away. Both sides were racing against time and each other in collecting information, deriving strategies, recruiting new blood. But it would not be long before the tension snaps and all the hell breaks loose.

Harry managed to keep peace with most of the inhabitants at the Headquarter, while trying to put up a lost and mournful face every now and then. With Hermione and Ginny, outwardly he had reached a truce with them, but they didn't seem to have forgiven each other deep at heart. Harry still felt awkward each time he had to face them alone, and therefore he normally would avoid doing so.

Harry would really like to spend more time with Remus and get to know him better, but he could seldom get a hold of the man, who had no doubt been burdened with various matters and responsibilities concerning the Order.

Ron was the person Harry spent most time with.(Well, perhaps except Sirius.) Most of the time they just chatted idly about trivial matters, or played chess with half their mind on it. Ron could be increasing seen with books concerning theories on Quidditich towards the end of the holiday.

Most of Harry's time was actually spent with Sirius. Sirius instructed Harry on what he should spend more time on studying, especially in the field of Defence Against the Dark Arts. More importantly, Harry had started reading on Sirius' research into Occlumency. So far, he hadn't been able to make a lot of sense out of the difficult articles and extracts from various books. But thankfully, his scar had been feeling normal and there had been no funny vision or whatsoever for a while.

Soon, September 1st descended upon them. Accompanied by the usual haste and chaos, Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys's remaining two members who still attended Hogwarts: Ron and Ginny, made their way to the King's Cross via borrowed cars.

The journey to the King's Cross was much more quiet then before, as the Fred and George were no longer there to noise about anything or to make jokes on any living object.

The parting with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley was nearly close to tearful. Mrs. Weasley especially gave each of them a long and tight hug, as if they wouldn't see each other for a long time.

Harry had wanted to bid his farewell with Remus before he left the Headquarter, but he had been nowhere to be seen.

They boarded the Hogwart Express just in time.

Ron and Hermione went ahead to the prefect compartment as soon as they settled their luggage down. They promised to be back as soon as they could, but Harry knew it would be well after mid way before that happens.

Therefore, Harry was left alone with Ginny in the compartment. Well, not exactly alone, if one counted the invisible-to-all-other-people-except-Harry dog who was crouching rather quietly besides Harry.

Ever since the incident in which both Hermione and Ginny slapped him, Harry had not really been alone with Ginny. Which left Harry quite wary to be left alone with her. Actually, Harry had been, one way or another, quite wary around Ginny ever since she grew out of her fancy of him and started talking in front of him.

"Hey! Sorry! I said I'm sorry!"

Harry jumped in his seat at the sudden shouting. What had he done this time?

"What? Sorry for what?"

"Are you ok? I have been calling you for ages, 'cause you were rubbing your cheek for no reason at all. Did it really hurt _that_ much? "

Harry quickly put down his raised hand. Strangely enough, he had rubbed his cheek without himself knowing.

"No, it didn't hurt that much." Harry couldn't help but recoil a bit at Ginny's glare. "ok, it hurt like hell, but I know I deserved that. "

"I'm glad that I could get the message across, then."

"Yeah. "

/this young lady has a strong will and fierce temper that remarkably resemble your mother./ Sirius broke his silence finally. Harry had been dreading his taunt since Ginny had made her move.

/how would I know?/

/you and your father really had natural magnetism for trouble. /

/What do you mean?/ Harry's irritation towards the stab of smugness that seeped through the bond was steadily mounting.

/Well, you aren't falling for our Miss Weasley here, are you?/

"Of course NOT!" in his indignity, Harry shouted.

And regretted as soon as the words left his mouth.

"What?"

"Nothing…no, I'm sorry. I mean I was just… talking to myself?"

"Harry, are you sure that you are quite ok? You have been acting really weirdly… "

Lunar became Harry's saviour by breaking into the compartment suddenly.

Before he or Ginny knew it, Lunar had already dragged Ginny out with her, muttering something about "conspiracy of Fudges", "the Dark Lord is on this train" as she left with Ginny, leaving Harry behind.

Harry released his breath and slumped back down in the seat.

/Look what you have gotten me into _again_, Sirius. She would have solid proof that I am mental, now. /

/I'm terribly sorry, Harry. Have I jeopardized your chance with little Ginny back there?/

/No! She's more of a little sister to me that I could never have. That's all. /

Shooting Harry a doubtful glance, Sirius turned to study the scenery flying by outside the train. Putting his paws on the window sail, Padfoot pressed his snout against the glass to get a better view of outside.

From the waving of the dog tail and the bounciness that was at the back of his mind, Harry could tell that Sirius was really enjoying himself, and really looking forward to arriving their destination.

At the moment, it was quite sunny outside. The radiance of the midday sun furnished the pastures and forests outside with liveliness.

However, the thick cloud at the far side of the sky was a promise of heavy rain.

* * *

Harry was contemplating whether to bring up a subject when Sirius turned back down from the window and fixed Harry with his clear blue gaze.

/Just spill it, lad./

Harry flipped the book in his lap close.

/Sirius. I really think we should at least tell Remus that you are alive./ Harry knew Sirius knew perfectly well why he had said that. Harry had been reluctant to bring up this subject himself, though it had been nagging at him ever since Sirius's return. Rationally, he knew he should relieve Remus the grief of losing the last best friend. Emotionally, Harry couldn't help but wanted to keep Sirius to himself…

It's about time for the selfishness to stop, however.

The remorse from the bond was evident.

/No…/

/Come on! Remus would never betray us! You know this better than I do. The poor man is suffering… I know how he feels… /

/Harry, I want you to understand. This is a matter between Remus and I. what you have said is right, but I would solve it in my own way. Don't you trust me?/

From the fading stubbornness and the emerging resolution and determination, Harry knew they would be ok.

/Well, of course I do. I just believe that it would do both of you some good./

/I know. Thanks for being caring. But I think we should stop talking now as someone is coming…/

Just then, there was the sound of a knock at the door leading to the small compartment. The door soon was slide open, revealing the head of a small, weedy-looking boy in Ravenclaw's uniform.

"Hey," the boy peeped around, "everywhere else is so full. Mind if I sit here?"

"Well, no. It'll not be occupied for a good while. Just make yourself home. "

The boy took the seat directly opposite Harry. From the heavy-looking bag, the boy drew a thick book out and sank deeper into the seat, preparing to read. As he flipped the thick book open, the boy stopped and looked up.

Tilting his head, he studied Harry curiously. Though slightly put off by the boy's action, Harry just start observing the boy in return. With short raven hair, high cheek bone, the boy reminded Harry of someone.

"Hey, you're not by any chance… "

"Harry Potter?" Harry finished for him.

"Oh, you really are him!" the inevitable flicker of eyes towards the infamous scar. "I see. You see, I read all about you last year. And I've been trying to research into the possibility of a cursed scar hurting years after it has been inflicted, but to no avail. I was wondering if there'd be any chance I could experiment on… no, I mean examine your scar in person. "

Harry stared at the boy.

"You are kidding, right?"

However, judging from the boy's intent look, he didn't seem to be kidding. It was as if he had merely asked to examine Harry's glasses, but not asked to _experiment_ on Harry's scar.

"Oh, sorry," the imprudence seemed to finally dawn on him, "I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just fascinated by matters related to healing. I want to be a healer when I grow up. "

The boy closed his book, which Harry saw the title was "The Art of Healing", and set it aside. He then fixed his inquisitive grey gaze back onto Harry.

"Harry – you don't mind me calling you Harry?"

"No…"

"I really think what the media said about you last year was rubbish. Back then, a second year like me saw right through those lies. I bet other people also knew it was just the Ministry's way of diverting attention from the arising Dark Lord. My father always tells me that those who receive the mass media's information without processing are truly morons. "

Harry was surprised by the short third year's speech. However, he had taken an instant liking towards the Ravanclaw. He was not awed or disgusted by the fact that he was the-Boy-Who-Lived.

"I'm grateful that at least someone did see through what those reporters were trying to do, but I'm afraid that's not always the case with most people." Harry said, reminiscing the harsh period he had to endure last year.

/It's over and done with now. Stop thinking about that! And where's your manner? You have talked to him for so long without know his name!/

Harry nodded to Padfoot and turned his attention back to the boy.

"Anyway, that's over and done with now. Um… if you don't mind me asking, what's your name? "

"Oh, sorry. Haven't I told you yet? My name is Stanley. My friends all call me Stan. "

Afterwards, they embarked onto a pleasant conversation about virtually everything, such as Fudge's losing favour with the public, which was the best Quidditch team out there nowadays, the best way to treat a dislocated joint, their favourite spot in Hogwarts, and the worsening weather out there.

Sirius, on the other hand, was half listening to their conversation and half dozing off, lying down quietly besides Harry's feet.

Stanley was evidently of a pure magical upbringing. However, he did not hold any prejudices against the muggle world. For example, he was not at all repelled by the muggle way of 'healing'; instead, he was intrigued by its effectiveness on certain aspects, and respected their scientific and evidence-based approach to problems.

Harry wondered if this were how he would feel if he had a younger sibling.

Someone knocked on the door as they fell into a comfortable silence, each reading books of their own interest.

"Stan, are you in here?" someone called from outside.

Stanley snapped his book close. "It's my brother!" he said, sprinting to the compartment's door.

As the compartment's door slided open, it revealed none other than a Slytherin the same year as Harry, Theodore Nott.

"Hey, Theodore, where have you been? I couldn't find you after I board the train. It's lucky that I have met Harry here, who has been so kind to let me have a seat here. You know each other, right? Harry is such a nice person, he… "

Stan babbled on as Harry and Theodore stared at each other. Except being a Slytherin, Harry didn't really know about what sort of a person Theodore was. In class, he just seemed a quiet and hard-working student. All Harry could tell was that this Theodore had not shown great interest in hanging around with Malfoy to bully other people. He was a Nott, nonetheless. The son of a Death Eater. As was Stanley.

Harry could feel Sirius returned to full alertness and stared the two brothers in vigilance.

"Hey… do you two hear what I say?" Stan looked from his brother to Harry, and then back to his brother.

Theodore Nott's expression looked blank. Harry wondered what's going on in his mind. Was Nott the same as Malfoy? Did he intend to follow his father's steps? Would Stanley also do so? He seemed to admire his father so much… but Harry just didn't want to believe such…

"I hope my little brother has not given you a lot of trouble, Potter. He doesn't know when to shut up sometimes. Let's go, Stan." Theodore spoke in a polite manner, with a bit of annoyance seeping into his voice.

"Why's that, bro? I just am getting to know Harry. Let's stay and talk a bit more…"

"Theodore? What are you doing here?" an un-mistakably arrogant voice.

Harry signed. Trouble was coming.

Studying Theodore's face, Harry was a bit startled to find a fleeting flash of … annoyance?

"Draco, it's nothing, I just was looking for Stan…"

"Well, well, well." Malfoy was upon the doorway. He was as arrogant and as irritating as ever. The scowl on his face looked as if the whole world owed him.

"Look what we have got here. Potter." Malfoy spat his name out like venom.

"Malfoy." Harry met Malfoy's burning glare steadily.

/Be careful, Harry. We have three potential Death Eaters here. /

/I'll manage just fine. /

"I seemed to hear someone moaning in pain over there." Malfoy smirked darkly, cruel light glittering in his grey eyes, looking down upon at Harry who was by then standing.

Harry simply glared at Malfoy with cold eyes, daring him to say further.

"Playing deaf now, are we? Or perhaps you have cried yourself over some dead _dog_ so much so that your voice is now too hoarse for speaking? Poor you."

/This boy sure has a lot of imagination./ Sirius commended dryly.

Harry kept his face as stonily mask-like as possible. He was treading dangerous water to play such a game with Malfoy. Malfoy might be evil, but he was by no means dump. One wrong act, and he might just be the first one to realize that Harry was no longer grieving for a godfather that was no longer quite dead.

"You will not speak of it again in front of me, Malfoy. You're not worthy of even mentioning him. " Cold fury was radiating from every inch of Harry's pale skin, and his emerald eyes were shooting daggers.

"Doesn't that moans of pain sound pitiful?" Malfoy turned to Theodore, his face smug, apparent pleased with himself.

"Draco. That's quite enough." Theodore's voice was flat.

Stan was clutching uncertainly at his brother's robe, his eyes wide, looking uncertainly at the three year six students from one to the other.

Harry decided it was time to make his strike.

"I really don't understand how you still have the mood to stick your smug face around other people's business, Malfoy. I suppose it is because your sorry excuse of a father is too busy partying in someplace _nice_ to care about you."

Malfoy's smug smirk froze.

"It wasn't what I thought I have heard. " Malfoy, his face still turned to Theodore, hissed under his breath.

"You did. It was such a pity that you weren't there to see them chain up your noble father and ship him off. You could have enjoyed the sight."

Malfoy slowly turned.

"You don't know what you are talking about." Malfoy hissed.

And Harry suddenly found himself at the receiving end of a wand, the hand gripping it surprisingly steady.

Harry was not to be intimidated, however.

"Who's the one moaning and squeaking in pain, now? I guess it just kind of saddening to know that one's almighty father isn't as powerful as his son would like him to be. "

"Sorry to disappoint you, Potter, but my father is _that_ powerful. He -"

In a firm motion, Theodore pushed the wand point down and stepped in between the two foes.

"Don't do stupid things that you will regret, Draco."

"Don't you dare telling me what to do, Theodore."

A deadly silence hang heavily around the small train compartment as the two Death Eater's sons engaged in a dead glare with one another.

Malfoy was the one to relent. With a swish of his robe, he left the compartment. But not without leaving his last farewell to Harry.

"Potter, you will regret this. You will regret the moment that your father set his eyes on your filthy mudblood of a mother and curse the moment that you were _born_. "

Without another glance at Harry, Theodore grabbed his brother's forearm and turned to leave.

Stanley turned to look back at Harry, uncertainty written all over his face as he was forced to leave.

"See ya around, Harry…" Stan said to Harry before the compartment door was slid shut.

Harry let loose the breath that he didn't aware he was even holding, and sank back down onto the seat.

Harry could feel Sirius's razor blue gaze still directed at him.

/That was not what I would have called clever move, kido. You over provoked him. /

/I know. But I just couldn't hold back, seeing his smug stupid face. /

Harry and Sirius remained relatively silent throughout the train ride, each lost in his own thoughts, pondering over the little incident with Malfoy and Notts.

Ron and Hermione found Harry alone in the compartment when they were around an hour's way from Hogwarts. They chatted half-heartedly as the train drove nearer and nearer to their destination.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express finally stopped with a loud screech, declaring the end of the trip. Students started to disembark the train.

With the dim silhouette of Hogwarts in sight, it signified the beginning of another school year. Harry's legs felt numb all of a sudden. There's no telling of what harshness would lay ahead. Harry really didn't want to see the beloved school to fall under the chaotic craziness surrounding the war, but changes were just inevitable.

Sirius nudged Harry gently on his leg.

The sight of the gigantic black dog granted life back to Harry's limbs.

He would not be alone this year. And this alone could make all the difference to Harry's world.

And he would surely strive to make a difference this year. He had not dared to mention this to Sirius, but he was determined to find a way to free Sirius back to his human form.

There had to be a way.

AN : Click the little Review button and give me some comments, everybody! I need it, I really need it to keep me going!

Thanks to all who reviewed last time! And responses to some of them –

HoshiHikari: Remus will get involved in his own way… just wait and see!

Iris Firewing : thanks to your advice of not stating the 'lesson' thingy… I will try, but as I am not a professional writer, I might not be able to do so all the time… so just remind me of that if it happens again!

Marguerida: 4 to 5 times? Are you serious? hope you like this chapter


	11. Beginnings

Disclaimer: nothing Harry Potter belongs to me

AN: Does anyone feel surprised? This chapter is out so fast!(well, at least compared to the previous ones) actually, it was only half of the original chapter planned, but as it grew monstrously long, I just have to chop it up in two…. And I want to post it earlier too!

Actually, writing certain parts that are to come up e.g. their new curriculum for year six, the routine things that have to happen (eg Quidditich), etc, is quite difficult for me. I will have to include them if I am to make it into a year Six fanfic, however… there are just so many things that I am afraid I would forget to include something…

Thanks for everyone who reviewed!!

Responses to my reviewers:

kungzoune: Remus will get better soon! You will see by the end of this chapter…

Marguerida : your review is really motivating for me! I am glad that you like Stan, the only original character by me so far! He will keep coming back… and I am glad that someone catch on the part about someone having two salaries too!

Imprisoned : yes, review is always good for the sake of the author. Keep reviewing and I will surely write faster…

Chris Tsuda: glad that you are enjoying my fanfic! I try as much as I can about the grammar, but it's not easy considering it's not my mother language. And i am not so sure about getting a new beta-reader… don't know where to find a reliable one

QueenWeasel: as you have wished! This chapter is out faster than the previous one!

SkyStrike : Sirius' being alive still have a long way from being revealed, unfortunately… but it will

Rheniel : ya, Harry had better learnt his Occulmency soon… Snape will have a slim chance of agreeing to teach Harry on that, however… we will see…

Now enjoy the story!

Xxx

* * *

Chapter 11 Beginnings

Rain was pouring as the Hogwarts students disembarked the train. The grim weather was almost a foretelling of the darkness to come.

Luckily, certain people and certain things did remain unchanged whatever the situation, which served as an anchor to the reality when people were lost in the chaos of the world.

"First year students! Over here!" Hagrid's faint outline could be seen over the mounting rain. As usual, he was vainly holding onto his lantern, hoping against hope to gather the lost first year students and shepherd them towards the traditional boat voyage across the giant lake, which would certainly become one of the unforgettably terrifying experience for those first year students for the rest of their lives.

"Hagrid!" Harry yelled, trying to greet his giant friend, but his head was too high up for his voice to reach in the windy situation. Soon Harry stopped trying to catch Hagrid's attention, who was busy going here and there to gather the young students.

"Harry, we have got to go!" Hermione yelled next to Harry's ear, getting his attention. "The carriages are going!"

As Harry got near to the carriage driven by the black winged thestrals, Harry got a sinking suspicion that their pale oval eyes were glued to the invisible black dog treading at his heels.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny got into the same carriage. It was with some difficulty that Sirius was also fished into the carriage without touching the other people inside.

Harry was fidgeting in his seat as Hermione and Ginny murmured with each other and as Ron was dozing off next to him.

/Hey, sit still. Or else they are really going to get suspicious of you. /

/As if I can sit still. I can't help feeling nervous with you and other people in a small enclosed area like this. I know they can't see you, but it's just... and I'm just afraid that they would somehow accidentally touch you… and…/

Sirius shook his gigantic big head.

/Calm down. You're just nervous because you are getting back school. /

/I will try… /

As they stepped off the carriage and hurried their way to the front door amid the heavy downpour, Sirius slowed Harry down a bit.

/I will not get into the Great Hall, Harry. Better not test this Concealment Charm against Dumbledore's eyes, yet. /

/where will you go then?/

/I will just…get re-acquaintanced with my old home. /

"Come on, Harry! What are you doing? Get inside quick!" Ron yelled and Harry could barely catch him over the heavy rain splashing against the ground.

"I'm coming!" He replied and refrained himself from looking at the direction at which Sirius was rapidly disappearing into the curtains of icy raindrops. He sped up to a jog until he was under the safe dry haven behind the immense oak front doors.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

* * *

At the hallway immediately inside the doors, students were shaking and shivering as most of them were soaked in the icy rainwater. Teachers were offering to dry them up with spells before the students were to be let in the great hall.

Harry's discomfort of wearing wet clothes that stuck uncomfortably at his skin was lifted the instant Flitwick dried him up with a simple flick of his wand.

"Let's get in quick!" Ron hit Harry's shoulder as he rushed pass him to get into the hall. Harry couldn't help but share an exasperated glance with Hermione. Both knew exactly what was occupying their red hair-ed friend's mind – food.

Before Harry could get into the Great Hall, a familiar voice stopped his tract.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, please come to my office after the welcoming feast ended." The stern voice was none other than that of Professor McGonagall's.

"What?" Harry asked with incredulity.

"Why?" Ron asked at the same time with dread in his voice.

"Don't worry, I just have some matter related to our house to discuss with you two." And the two of them just gaped in anxiety in her wake as she left.

"What do you reckon is wrong this time? I think her face is quite grave. I bet there's no good news waiting for us." Ron said as they made their way towards the Gryffindor table.

"Don't be stupid, Ron. You can't have done anything to upset her yet." Hermione said, pulling a chair and sitting down.

"Who know what she would be thinking… I really hope it is nothing bad …" Harry started to lose his attention on Ron's and Hermione's conversation as he sat down. He closed his eyes and tried to shut the outside world out. He reached within himself… stretched his conscious to reach the part that linked him to his godfather. There in the corner of his mind, he could feel a surge of wildness… of excitement in running wild in his old home once again. He could feel that Sirius was probably running wild in the Forbidden Forrest… no doubt having fun.

"Harry? Harry? Are you still here?" the concerned voice of Hermione retrieved Harry's conscious back to the world around him.

And it just felt empty without the constant sight of his godfather around him. He had grown so accustomed to his presence over the holiday.

Harry really felt that he should get a grip on himself and stopping doubting. Sometimes, especially when Sirius was out of his sight, a sudden fear would creep into him and seize his heart… that Sirius's return had just been his mere hallucination out of his fervent wish of having Sirius back, that it had just been a dream, and Harry would suddenly wake up to find him gone…

But the bond always served to remind him of the solidity of Sirius's presence. Its presence could chase away any shadow of doubt eventually.

"I'm ok, Hermione. Just thinking." He gave her and Ron what he hoped a reassuring smile.

Harry discovered soon after the Concealment Charm had been performed that there were certain limitations to what they could do. They could only converse with their telepathic link if they were within a few meters' distance from each other. However, no matter how far they were apart, Harry could constantly feel the presence of Sirius at the corner of his mind.

As the students around them settled down into their seats, Harry started to survey the people around. The usual excitement that would fill the great hall at the start of term was lacking. Most of the students seemed subdued and were conversing in low murmurs, probably exchanging their experiences during the summer vacation… and inevitably, the upcoming war.

Every now and then, Harry could see people stealing swift glances towards the table furthest away from the Gryffindor table… the Slytherin table. The usually lousy Slytherin were also unusually quiet. Harry couldn't help but also wonder if any… any of those Slytherins had already kneeled before Voldemort? A chill went down his spine at such a depressing thought…

Harry's attention next roamed to the head table. The first thing Harry noticed was that Dumbledore had not arrived yet. Although rationally Harry knew that it had not been Dumbledore's fault that Sirius had nearly died, yet emotionally Harry still found himself unable to forgive what the old man had done last year.

Besides Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid were also not there, probably leading and preparing the newcomers for the sorting. Except that, Harry noticed that there was no new faces on the head table. Snape was wearing his usual scowl, his hair as oily as ever. Harry fervently hoped that the new DADA teacher would not be that particular teacher…

"Hey," Ron said, his gaze also turned to the head table, "you don't think that there'd be any chance that Snape will be the DADA teacher this year? If so, I won't be taking it… "

"Who knows…" Seamus, who was sitting across them with Dean at his side, said. "Maybe Dumbledore himself will be teaching as they couldn't find anyone decent on for the job."

"Yea. The only good DADA professor we've ever got was Professor Lupin. A pity that he is a werewolf… " Dean said.

"Anyone but professor Snape will be fine to me… " Neville said, looking worried.

They waited with impatience for the newcomers that no doubts were struggling their way through the stormy lake.

"Hey, have you guys decided what subjects you will take this year?" Neville asked his fellow Gryffindor classmates.

Along with the letter announcing the O.W.Ls results, there was also a letter stating the minimal OWLs result requirement in order for them be qualified to take those subjects in NEWTs level.

"I will definitely not take Portion this year. I am not qualified anyway." Ron said, the rambling sound from his stomach betraying how hungry he felt. "I hope the first year will be here soon… anyway, I think I am taking five subjects… "

"Me too. Five will already be too many…speaking of which, Hermione, how many are you planning to take? " Seamus asked.

"Me? I am still contemplating…I really like Arithmancy, so I will definitely be taking it. I am also inclined to take Ancient Runes… but I don't want to give up herbology... "

Harry reckoned Hermione must have given a lot of thoughts to this issue. He, on the other hand, hadn't really contemplated it deeply. They were given a week to decide exactly what subjects they were going to take this year.

"So, how many exactly are you going to take?" Harry asked, though he didn't really want to know how crazy Hermione was going to get in choosing too much for herself.

"At least six." The Six year Gryffindors around her gave a collective groan of exasperation.

"Hermi, _at least_ six? You are not planning to take seven, are you? That would not be humanly possible. Even you would have to admit how difficult these exams are going to be. You will barely survive five, let alone six, so forget about getting more, seriously. " Ron said, his eyebrow twitching slightly showing his incredulity.

"But I really don't want to give up studying those subjects. I know what I can handle." Hermione said, folding her arms in annoyance of being lectured, by Ron of all people.

"I'm just being - "

The conversation that had been about to turn into an argument was interrupted when the front door leading to the great hall was opened.

All the gaze of the inhabitants inside the hall was drawn towards the door as it slowly open to reveal the headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore.

The enigmatic old man was in his usual scarlet long robes. With sure long strides, he made his way across the great hall, his piercing blue gaze surveying the students solemnly as he walked pass.

Harry's attention, however, was quickly drawn to the person who entered following Dumbledore. He could feel Hermione's tab on his robe and her sharp gasp.

"Professor Lupin?" Ron muttered under his breath. Many of the students who are of higher year also were conversing in low tone with adjacent people as their eyes followed the progress of the two men onto the head table.

The noise died down as soon as Dumbledore took his rightful place at the centre of the head table and stood to address the whole school.

"Good evening to you all. I am most delighted to see so many familiar faces. Now let's first welcome the newcomers to this school and let the sorting begins. "

The oak door to the great hall opened once again, this time revealing the newcomers to Hogwarts. They followed Professor McGonagall's lead in a single file into the great hall towards the stage. Some of them looked thrilled, some looked absolutely frightened, but all were staring in wide-eyed wonder at the grandness and the magic of the great hall – the floating candles, the ever changing ceiling that mirrored the stormy sky outside, the four long house tables, and the pearly ghosts that floated leisurely across everyone's head.

Harry wondered had he looked as small and as uncertain of himself and as awe-stricken when he first stepped into the hall. Probably he had.

And so afterwards the usual rituals followed. The first years were up the stage, watching in trepidation as McGonagall took out the scroll with their names on, the small wooden stool and the battered looking sorting hat.

Harry noticed that Hagrid slipped to his usual seat at the end of the head table as the sorting hat began to sing its song.

This year's song was unsurprisingly full of warning of the upcoming storm and harshness, and of the importance of standing strong and steady together against the tide to come.

The sorting was uneventful. Harry clapped half-heartedly with his housemates as new Gryffindors joined their house. His gaze wandered away from the sorting and found the man that was quietly conversing with professor Flitwick – Remus. Harry felt a surge of delight at the prospect of having Remus back, no doubt as the DADA teacher. No wonder he had told Harry that he was being paid double salaries by Dumbledore – one for his work with the Order, the other his teaching job at Hogwarts.

However, Harry also felt slightly worried for the man. It was of course more than fine for Harry that he was returning to take up the DADA position again, but there were bound to be prejudiced parents who would not be happy to know that a werewolf would teach their children, no matter how talented that werewolf was at the job. Harry wondered how Dumbledore could manage to appoint Remus as a teacher… there must be opposition from the Ministry as Remus's werewolf condition had been public knowledge …

"Welcome and congratulate all of you first years." Dumbledore stood up as the sorting was finished. "Now enjoy the fabulous feast, everyone!"

Food at Hogwarts was at their usual supreme quality. Harry didn't realize how hungry he had been until he saw the delicious food appearing on the plates.

"I'm really glad that professor Lupin is back." Hermione said to Ron and Harry over the dinner.

All the three of them automatically directed their gaze to the man sitting next to Flitwick. Remus looked exhausted. He was poking his food half-heartedly with his fork as he chatted with the short professor besides him. Instead of the usual pumpkin juice served, every now and then he would pick up a little rectangular bottle and drank from it. Harry frowned as he squinted to discern what the little bottle contained.

"Yea, of course. We are finally having someone decent enough for the job. " Ron said while getting himself the second helping of food already.

"Of course it's good in that aspect… but I mean, it's also good for the man. He needs to be around people more often so that he can… heal. " Hermione quickly lowered her eyes to avoid meeting Harry's gaze as if suddenly realizing she have said something inappropriate.

Ron tried drawing the topic of conversation back on what subjects to choose, but without great success. Harry had to make it a point to remind himself to look sullen and quiet as so to act like someone who was still in the midst of 'healing' from a great personal loss.

Ron's growing frustration at breaking the awkwardness was resolved as the feast drew to its end. Dumbledore stood from his seat and soon the great hall fell into silence.

"I hope everyone have enjoyed the feast," he said, tilting his head slightly down and sweeping his gaze across the whole hall, "I am glad that most of the students have returned. Indeed, now more then ever, you need your education. I am not going to lie to you to make you feel better. A war is waging out there, outside the wall of this castle."

Dumbledore paused, regarding his students in silence.

In Harry's memory, the great hall had never been so silent.

"As long as you are in the sanctuary of Hogwarts, the least I can guarantee is a safe environment to learn and to mature in. However, it does not mean that what is happening outside would not concern you. In fact, in the end, it will affect every one of us, every part of the world, be it Britain, or the rest of the world; be it the magical world or the muggle world. Therefore, we must now stand together. And for all you young souls here, you need your education and your training to prepare yourselves, now more than ever.

"No matter how, do not let the war deter us. We will continue our teaching. We will not shut down; this is what we will promise you and your parents."

Dumbledore let the students contemplate and digest his words before going on. The soft smile on his face seemed so… sad.

"Now, before I send you off to your warm dormitories, I still have got several announcements to deliver. Firstly, I am most pleased to inform you of the return of our old DADA professor. For the younger students, let me introduced to you the DADA professor this year – and hopefully for many years to come – Remus Lupin."

Remus stood and bowed as the younger students applauded in politeness, some of the older students applauded with enthusiasm, while the rest of them stared at him with uneasiness, uncertainty, fear, and even hatred…

"How can Dumbledore do this? Is he nuts?"

"How can he hire a -"

"What if he stumbles upon us when he is -"

"I don't care how good this guy can teach, but he -"

Harry could catch bits and pieces of conversation over the hustle and bustle that broke out in the hall. He couldn't help but feel angered at how those people prejudiced against Remus simply because of a situation that he couldn't control… it's so unfair…

Dumbledore held up his hands and patiently waited for the hustle to die down.

"For those who are not aware of Professor Lupin's unique condition, or for those who are in doubt due to all those rumors years ago, I will tell you this, with Professor Lupin's consent – he is indeed a werewolf."

There was a collective gasp from the younger students. The students from year four and onwards simply stared at Dumbledore with rapt attention.

"It was most unfortunate that he was beaten by a werewolf when he was a kid, when there had not been any solution for this condition. It could have happened to anybody. Being a werewolf does not make Professor Lupin much different from the rest of you. I will not allow prejudice of any forms in our school. In fact, I have confidence in all of you, that you have the ability to see through the surface and look at what is underneath, and judge for yourselves whether something is genuine or not."

Even those who had been loudly protesting the return of Remus looked ashamed of themselves.

"Now, I will make my second announcement concerning changes in the teaching staff. Deal to some unfortunate circumstances, Professor Sibyl Trelawney will not be teaching Divination for the time being. Firenze has kindly agreed to substitute the teaching post until Professor Trelawney's return. "

"Lastly, for the benefits of the newcomers, you will all better keep in mind that the Forbidden Forrest is strictly forbidden to students. And if anyone would care to check it out, the list of substances forbidden within the castle is posted outside Mr. Flich's office. Now, off you go to bed and have a good night's rest before tomorrow's lessons start."

Soon, most of the students were on their feet, eager to head back to their warm dormitory. Prefects started issuing instructions and directions for the first years.

"See you two back in our dormitory," Hermione said as she turned to usher a group of first year student out of the great hall.

Harry and Ron had no choice but to head towards Professor McGonagall's office.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx**

* * *

"Sit, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley." Harry and Ron exchanged a somewhat queasy look with each other, puzzled expression mirrored on the other's face – what have they done wrong this time?

"Please, both of you. Take a _seat_." The irritated edge to Professor's voice urged both teenagers to take their seat, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Er, Professor, the term barely, no, haven't started yet. We have done . . . nothing?"

"No need to explain yourself, Mr. Weasley." Professor McGonallol fixed both nervous teenagers with her infamous stare, and pushed her square glasses up her nose ridge. "Well, I still am not sure whether it is a correct decision, but," she muttered to softly as if speaking to herself, but she hardened her gaze on both Harry and Ron. She sat straight up and leaned forward.

"What I'm going to discuss with you concern our house. So I want you two to put serious thought into it. Harry, Ron, you both are on the Gryffindor team. Harry, you have been on the team since your first year, right?"

Harry nodded.

"On the other hand, Ron, you are only on your second year on the team."

Ron nodded uncertainly.

"As you two are on the team the longest, one of you is going to be the team captain this year." Harry and Ron stared at McGonagall at a loss of word. However, they restrained from stealing a glance at each other. "So, what do you two think?"

Come to think of it, Harry realized that he would have given this matter a lot of thought during the summer, as it was only natural that the responsibility of team captain would fall on the shoulder of the Sixth Years, if only he was not much too preoccupied with Sirius's return. Before Harry could give the matter any coherent thought, Ron blurted out. "Professor, it should be Harry. He is in his sixth year on the team now. Not to mention that he is a . . . well, more competent player than I am. He should be the captain."

"No, Ron." For a moment, Harry was really tempted to agree to Ron. But there lay no doubt on who was the more suitable candidate as captain. "Being a captain is a great responsibility. Being a good flier is not enough. You have been obsessed with Quidditch and excelled in its strategies and theories even before I knew such a thing _existed_. And you have always been the one who is good at strategy. I have never beat you at chess, Ron. You are the perfect choice for captain!"

"No, I'm not! Harry, I can't! I am a prefect already; I don't have time to be a captain! And my flying skills often fluctuate. . . "

"Ron, what you lacks now is only confidence. The confidence to take the Slytherins' insult in their face and to disregard it likes a worthless joke."

Ron's mouth was opening and closing so rapidly that he looked like a gold fish out of water. Harry really wanted to laugh at that hilarious look and sign at the same time for Ron's thick-headedness. Stealing a glance at McGonagall, Harry could tell that the professor was harboring similar thought from the slight twit of her month.

After a considerable length of time, Ron snapped his month close and looked downwards at his lap. He clutched and unclenched his fist. "I . . . I. . ." a light seemed to radiate from the depth of his blue eyes. It was a light of determination.

"OK. Professor, I'll do it. "

"Great for you, mate!" Harry clapped Ron on his shoulder, really felt overjoyed for his best friend this time. Harry stopped clapping when Ron didn't smile in return, or even look at Harry for the matter. With a sudden movement of his hand, Ron took his hand from his pocket and placed a golden red badge with a letter "P" on the table. His gaze remained determined. Harry hardly saw a Ron so sure of himself.

"Professor, I have been thinking of this ever since last year. You have made a mistake by appointing me as prefect. I'm hardly the material for it."

"What?" Harry half yelled. McGonagall stopped his further interruption with a raise of her hand.

"So, what do you suggest I do, Mr. Weasley?" There was a strange gleam in McGonagall's eyes.

"I suggest that Harry take the badge."

Harry snapped his month close when he realized that he had left it open for too long. He opened his month again to reject it, but the expectant look on the other two's faces stopped him.

"Ok. I'll take it."

Afterwards, the three of them just sat there, giving themselves time for the new situation to sink in.

"I'm _relieved_. "McGonagall let out a long breath and sank back into her armchair. "You two finally show signs of growing _up_."

"I'm so relieved."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

* * *

On the way back to the Gryffindor Tower, Harry and Ron did not exchange much word. They were still a bit in shock at what happened back in McGonagall's office. Each was a bit taken aback by what the other had said about him.

Yet, they understood why the other made the choice. They hadn't been best friend for five long years without knowing each other inside out.

Soon, both had finished washing up and were ready for bed. When they entered their bedroom, the other boys were already fast asleep.

"Harry, we'll both work hard on the Quidditch team this year! I'm sure we'll win!" Ron said as he hopped onto his own bed.

"Of course, Captain! With you and I on the team, we are unbeatable! "

"You're right! Let's get some sleep now and discuss about it tomorrow! I can't wait till we do the recruitment this year!"

"Me neither! Good night, Ron."

"Night, Harry."

Harry tucked himself onto the comfortable four-poster bed. His tired mind faintly registered the fact that his godfather was still currently running wild outside the grounds as he drifted to the world of unconsciousness within seconds.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Remus watched the headmaster sigh the last documents and put down his quills.

"Sorry for summoning you here so late. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Sure. Thanks." Remus said.

With a wave of Dumbledore's hand, tea pots and china cups floated above the table and steaming tea was poured into china cups. Dumbledore reached absent-mindedly for the slumbering scarlet-golden phoenix perching just next to his table, and stroke the soft feather lightly.

"Do you know why I have summoned you here?"

Remus could think of many reasons (including not so pleasant ones) why the headmaster would like to see him before the lessons started. He didn't want to make a guess and simply shook his head.

"I am planning to give this speech to every teaching staff of the school. However, I think the task really is best suited for you."

Remus raised his eyebrow.

"Do you, by any chance, know what the minimal age for initiation into Death Eater's rank is?"

Remus raked his brain for the answer even though he was not sure of where it was leading to. He tried to search Dumbledore's face for clues, but all he was displaying was a sense of tiredness ever since Voldemort's return.

"Sixteen? Or Seventeen, considering it would be the mark for coming-of-age for a wizard."

"Well, it is sixteen." Dumbledore rested his elbows on the table and placed his chin upon his crossed fingers, his eyes gleaming behind those half-moon spectacles.

Suddenly it hit Remus.

"So you are afraid that some of the students might already have been initiated?" Remus knew very well that it had been inevitable. What Voldemort now needed most was manpower. He would have to gather a greater force before making a bold strike. There were bound to be students who had already fallen into the grasp of the demon of a man. _If he could still be regarded as a man. _

"I'm afraid that that has already happened. We cannot change this fact. Of course we are not going to give those students up to the darkness, but getting them back under the light will be difficult. And it will be the task of another, " Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat, his voice solemn, " however, what I'm asking you to do is to try to stop those who are not yet tainted by the mark but are venturing down that path.

"Prevention is the best cure, but it will be difficult, especially for those whose parentage are of… well, a darker nature. But I still believe in goodness in human nature. Will you help me in saving those children, Remus? "

"Of course, Professor Dumbledore. I will try, though I might not be able to, but you have my word that I will keep my eyes open and look out for lost young souls. "

"Thank you, Remus. I appreciate you willingness to help."

"You're welcome, sir. This is just the responsibility of being a teacher… "

"Thanks all the same. As now my first request is out of the way, there is still a second request from the old man. "

"Which is?"

"Except for looking out for those young souls, I want you to look out for yourself, Remus."

Remus couldn't help but averted his gaze from the sincere and inquiring gaze of Dumbledore, his hand unconsciously and guiltily clutched the bottle of liquor in the pocket of his robes.

"I know how hard it is for you… to deal with another loss. I know what you have been doing, trying to drown yourself in work and in alcohol so that you numb yourself of the pain. I am not scolding you or anything. I understand why you are doing this to yourself. But it will not do. I will not stand by to see you torture yourself in this manner."

The sorrow that Remus had tried so hard to bury within himself, the sorrow that he had neither the time nor the courage to examine, was threatening to break out. Shakily, Remus raised his hand to cover his eyes.

"I am sorry, Professor. I'm sorry."

Someone touched Remus' shoulder gently. Remus removed his hand and found Dumbledore leaning across the table to put a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"There is no need to be, Remus. You are just human, you are not forbidden to show weakness. "

"But – but I need to be strong."

"Yes, I need you, Remus, as do Harry, and all the other students. We need you to be strong. But that does not require you to suppress your emotion. You know where you can turn to if you need to… well, if you want to lend somebody's ear to listen to you."

"I know, Professor Dumbledore. Thanks…"

"You are welcome. And please, do call me Albus, as I have asked you to so many times before. I am your teacher no more, Remus. I'm just your friend."

"Ok… Albus."

Dumbledore leaned back to his chair and smiled, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Thank you for your time. Now go get some rest or you won't have the energy to deal with those kids tomorrow!"

"Good night, Albus." Remus stood to leave.

"Good night, Remus."

Remus turned and walked to the door of Dumbledore's office.

"Remus, " Remus turned at Dumbledore's voice, "you do know that…"

_You do know that I am counting on you, don't you? _

Remus could read the unspoken question from Dumbledore's expression – an expression of complete trust.

"I do." Remus whispered before turning the door knob to leave the office.

When Remus reached his own resting chamber, he took out the bottle in his robe pocket, poured all the alcohol inside down the sink in the washroom, and tossed the bottle into the trash bin.

Tomorrow would be a new beginning for him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

* * *

AN: well, you have my word that things will _start_ to heat up in the next chapter!

Please review to tell me what you think of this chapter!


	12. Underneath the Surface

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs NOT to me, of course.

AN: Not a bad time, right? I made it within a month! (Within half a month actually?) I should have been revising, though . Now the pile of lecture notes is haunting me relentlessly. Poor me.

Responses to my wonderful reviewers:

Kungzoune: glad that you like the last chapter! Hope this one is as good for you as the last one!

Marguerida: thanks for offering to help again! (I'm in fact waiting for your reply…) There were still hints hidden back in the previous chaptersss(perhaps they're too un-obvious?) hope that someone will catch them too… : )

Hoshihikari: thanks for reviewing again!(n hope that you will keep returning to this fanfic!)

Wolfawaken: hope this chapter will be equally enjoyable to you!

Eternal Cosmos: Thanks for reviewing!

Dount Man: really sorry about the mistakes… I will try to eliminate them the best I can… hope it won't affect the story too much… I will try to maintain the quality of the chapters, though of course I will need comments and suggestions from you all to help me do so!

Jonna594: well, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

Now, onto the chapter! Read and Review!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**Chapter 12 Underneath the Surface**

Harry woke to the sudden awareness that someone had been sitting on his bed.

Without the need to open his eyes, Harry knew who it had been.

/Sirius, you are finally back. Had a nice day yesterday, huh/ Harry said groggily through the link while groping blindly in the dim light for his glasses on the bedside table.

Through the bond, waves of tiredness, contentment and hunger seeped through.

/Of course. I had quite an interesting reunion with the Hogwarts grounds, the forest, the lake, everything. And I'm now positively starving. /

The grinning face of the dog came into focus as Harry put his round-rimmed glasses on.

/Ok, ok, as if I can't tell that you are hungry by the way that your stomach is growling. I'm going to get you something. /

Sirius trotted along behind Harry with eagerness, his tail wagging non-stop, as Harry did his wash up and put on his school robe.

When Harry left the dormitory, it had been so early that none of the other boys even stirred a bit from their peaceful slumber.

Harry left the Gryffindor tower and strolled in the faint light of dawn, inhaling the clean cold morning air. He couldn't help but walked with lightness as if there had been a spring in his steps. It must have been the bond, making him reflect his godfather's current good mood.

As the headed towards the kitchen, Harry told Sirius what happened yesterday with the meeting with McGonagall, while Sirius chatted about how wonderful it was to be able to roam the Forbidden Forrest again.

/It's almost like old time… it was different from the time back in your third year, when I was bent on killing… I couldn't let myself simply enjoy being back here… anyway, I proved my suspicion last night./

/Which was.../

/That animals can see me. At least for the magical ones. As far as other animals, they can as least sense my presence./

/It this a good thing? You can be detected by animals…/

/Yes, I can achieve a lot more if I can communicate with other beings in the forest. They will not betray me./

They had finally reached the portrait with a dish of fruits on it. Harry tickled the right places.

And in no time at all, Harry left with the piles of food that the house-elves enthusiastically hailed him the moment they saw him standing outside the secret opening.

They strolled to the lake and sat down on the grass. With a piece of toast in hand, Harry watched in amusement as Sirius wolfed down the food.

Harry wondered if it was so wrong of him to feel so happy and contented, while a war was raging outside the safe haven of Hogwarts.

/Don't be silly. You deserve to be happy./ Sirius said, as he lowered his head on his paws, lying in comfort next to Harry.

"I don't know, Sirius." Harry said aloud, staring at the sparkling lake surface that was caught in the glamour of rising sun. Unlike the previous day, there was the promise of a bright new day in the air.

"Hey, I want to tell you something." Harry said, his hands unconsciously landed on Padfoot and his fingers ran through the soft, comforting black fur on Padfoot's back.

/Fire away. /

"I want to be an Auror. "

/Why mention this all of a sudden/

"Cause I have to choose subject for the NEWTs now, and I have to take my future career into consideration when I choose. I just want to ask for your opinion on this…"

/Do you really want to be an Auror/

"Yes, I do."

/You do/

"I do."

Sirius stared at the lake in silence.

"Why don't you question my reasons? Wouldn't you think that it is too dangerous a job?"

/When I was at your age, Harry, I was thrown the same task of contemplating my future. I just understand perfectly how you feel. Sometimes you feel so powerless to what is happening out there, and you just want to make a difference… /

Harry nodded, glad for Sirius's acceptance.

/Auror training will be good for you, if God forbidden, the war is still out there when you graduate. /

Harry knew very well that he had to receive all the training possible when he could.

It's a matter of whether he would _kill_ or _be killed_.

Moreover, being an Auror had the privilege of assessing the most ancient and invaluable collection of books and scrolls on magic there were in the world.

Harry was sure that if he couldn't find the solution to Sirius's condition in Hogwarts, he would find it there.

Harry sat in companionable silence with Sirius until it was time to get back to the great hall to meet the others.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

* * *

"Where have you been, Harry?" Ron said as Harry sat down next to him. 

"I woke up early and couldn't sleep again, so I just decided to have a stroll outside." Harry automatically reach out and could feel that Sirius was again happily roaming the Forest.

Harry helped himself with a glass of pumpkin juice when Hermione sat down next to him.

"Good morning, Harry, Ron. How did the meeting with Professor McGonagall go?" Hermione greeted them, her hands unconsciously running through her bushy brown hair as if trying to smooth them out.

"You won't be believing this, Hermi- " Ron leaned a bit over Harry and launched into an excited account of what had transpired in McGonagall's Office.

"Oh! Really? Congratulations to you both! " Hermione said with a bright smile on her face.

"Thanks!" Both Ron and Harry beamed.

The three of them chatted animatedly over breakfast at what they were going to achieve this year, especially for Ron, who kept talking about how they were going to win the Quidditich cup.

The atmosphere at breakfast seemed much more relaxed than that of the previous night. Most students, especially the newcomers, looked excited to start their new lessons. Owls flew in and out of the great hall, dropping letters and parcels and forgotten stuff from home to the students.

A post owl landed next to Hermione. It quickly flew away after Hermione took the Daily Prophet tied to its claw and put the fee in the little bag it carried. Hermione then started to unfold the newspaper and read.

"Anything interesting? " Harry said, nipping on a toast.

"Actually, yes. It seems that Fudge is under a lot of pressure now. He will not stay where he is long… Look at this. " Hermione folded the Daily Prophet and handed it to Ron and Harry. They leaned over the article Hermione pointed out in interest.

_**Victory or Dead End?**_

_- Is Fudge **already** out of his depth?_

_Daniel Robinson, Special Correspondent_

"… _You-Know-Who's return surely is a terrible event. However, all of the Magical community can rest assured that the Ministry is doing everything in its power to stop the Dark Lord from gaining the control he had during the last war. We will have everything under our control in no time. Please place your faith in the Ministry once again and stand strong together.We will surely match towards victory..."what The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had said( on the day after the news of the Dark Lord's return has broken out) surely is still fresh on the mind of many of us. Yet, it is blatant that his words have not stayed true. _

_Ever since the dire news of He-who-must-not-be-named's return, the British Magical World has been thrown into a hurricane of dismay and chaos. Unexplained disappearance and 'accidents', rising domestic and work place dispute and violence out of the terror rising within the society, magical creatures normally tried their best to stay out of the ways of human beings attacking people – the Ministry hasn't seem to be able to deal with any of these. What have our dear Minister done except the blank talk? How in the name of Merlin can anyone believe what the Minister has said? How can we not lose faith in face of the darkness that it sure to come?_

"_The current situation is **unacceptable**. If something is not done soon, it will be too late for our salvation. The Ministry is not taking us in a right direction. It's too passive, waiting for opportunities to fall from the sky, which they won't. And it's still refusing to reach out to all of the magical society to repair broken links. " a Ministry high ranking official (who was unwilling to disclose his identity to public) said during an interview. _

_The magical society surely has had enough. No one who has lived long enough to remember how it had been during the reign of terror would ever want to experience it again. Fingers are now pointing towards the Ministry of Magic, and in particular our supposed leader, the Minister for Magic, for their inability in turning the tide. The situation has already spun out of anyone's control._

_Well, perhaps it is not out of everyone's control yet. At least there is still a group of people who are willing to stand up and are capable of this vital task. The Order of Phoenix, led by none other than the legendary Albus Dumbledore, appeared to be the Magical World's last barrier against the dark force. This organization can be dated back to the time of the Hogwarts founders. It is formed by the most powerful and resourceful light wizards and witches of the time when the need arises, and it works independently of the Ministry. The Order's working is a mystery to all who are outside of it. The only thing known about it currently is that its leader's identity. It is working diligently and boldly against the mounting dark forces. It is not confined by ordinary beliefs or prejudice. When the Ministry is still busy shunting the less respected minority groups of the society, the Order has already reached out to them to prevent them from joining and adding to the force of the dark side. It is believed that some sort of deal has been reached with certain minority groups that they have agreed not to join with the Dark Lord for the moment being, and efforts are being made to take the temporary truce into an alliance. _

"_If we are to survive this war, it's time everyone of us to think about the direction we need to take. We need a strong leader to act as the cohesive force of the society. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion, when you still can. It will make a difference. " The ministry official ended the interview with this advice. _

"Fudge surely is in a lot of trouble." Ron said.

"If he is not before, he will be after this article is out." Harry said.

"Well, I think the one in trouble might be the reporter who wrote this… Fudge won't like this. Not a bit." Hermione said, frowning slightly as if worrying for the bold reporter.

After the breakfast, the Gryffindor Six Years headed to their first class of the day. In fact, the first week will be the adjustment week for all the Six Years. They must attend all the introductory courses of the subjects they were interested in taking in NEWTs during the week and make their decision at the end of the week.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Three very exhausted Gryffindors dragged their feet out of the Transfiguration classroom and headed towards the great hall for lunch. 

"Can you believe what she has made us do? I'm not going to take this class! There're so many complicated spell works, so much to memorize, so draining -"

"- so advanced!" Hermione cut Ron's rant sharp off. "The magic involved is such a high level. Couldn't you see how perfectly McGonagall transfigured the bird into a quill? That's so much more than what we've done in the past. I can't wait for the lessons to really start! " Hermione was bright-eyed with the prospect of learning advanced magic.

Harry could feel Sirius chuckle in his mind. Sirius had sneaked in the classroom in the middle of the class, and had watched in amusement as the Gryffindors were being bullied into doing all sort of exhausting and difficult transfiguration.

Harry simply signed in exhaustion, too tired to join in their conversation/ bickering.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

The rest of the week passed in a blur. For each subject, the teacher behaved somehow like trying to impress them with the most difficult and most astonishing aspect of their subject. Even Remus, whom Harry thought was not much into show-off, started the lesson with an impressive demonstration of some defensive spells. 

This meant all of those lessons were so _ridiculously_ draining.

By the end of Thursday, the Sixth Year students were near to the point of collapse. Most of them were too terrified to acknowledge the fact that they still had got two more years of this sort of exhausting curriculum ahead of them.

/Of course it's exhausting. Or why do you think they call it 'Nastily Exhausting' for/ when Harry complained of the strenuous lessons, Sirius simply waved it off as if it was a more than blatantly obvious fact.

On Friday, they had the morning off for them to make their choice before submitting it to their head of house before dinner.

Harry didn't really have to consider anymore, as he goals were clear to him from the beginning. He would take all the subjects pre-requisite for getting into Auror training.

At lunch break, Harry was strolling with Sirius out around the lake again. Both Hermione and Ron were preoccupied with their consideration and hence retreated back to their room after lunch.

The weather outside was mild, with a few pieces of cloud drifting lazily across the sky, screening off most of the blinding midday sunny, yet still bright enough to give a radiant glow to the scenery outside.

Harry just couldn't resist walking out, enjoying the caress of the light breeze on his skin.

Harry traced the familiar path leading to the giant lake, then started strolling around its bank.

At the edge of the lake closet to the Forbidden Forest, Harry saw a familiar short figure throwing pieces of toast down onto the lake.

The person turned at the sound of the approaching footsteps.

It was Stanley Nott.

For a moment, Harry thought about turning back and going inside. He didn't really want to contemplate on the issue of whether Stanley Nott, the son of a Death Eater, was trustworthy enough to talk with. However, his feet carried him along as if with a mind of their own.

It was only after Harry stopped just a step away from Stanley that he noticed something amiss. The boy seemed so much subdued compared with the last time Harry had met him. There was a slight soberness in his youthful expression.

"What are you doing?"

"Feeding the giant squid."

"But it's not here."

"Of course it's not. I just want to try. My brother used to show me how to do it when I just get to Hogwarts. "

"He can get the giant squid out?"

"Of course he can! " with a large turning motion, he threw the last bit of toast out to the lake. Something fell out of his robe pocket in the process. It was a piece of crumbled parchment.

"Hey, you've dropped something… " Harry said, bending to pick it up.

Stan's gaze followed that of Harry's down onto the ground. His eye widened at the sight of the parchment. He jumped down and snatched the parchment away before Harry could touch it. He quickly shoved it inside his pocket. He kept grabbing the parchment as he shot a glare at Harry.

"What's that? Why are you so… touchy about it?" Harry tilted his head to regard the boy in front of him. Where had all the cheerfulness gone?

"It's none of your business." Stan said, lowering his gaze down onto the grass.

"What's happening? The last time we meet we chatted so happily. Is it that your brother forbids you from hanging out with people like me?"

"No. It's not like that. My brother would do no such thing. It's just that… it's a letter from home. "

"From your father?"

"From my mother. I don't want to talk about it. " He kicked at the grass at his feet sullenly.

Harry couldn't help but be reminded once again that Stan's father was a Death Eater. Harry couldn't help but want to distant himself from the boy in front of him.

"You like your father?"

" 'Course I do. Why ask?"

"_Don't you know that he is a Death Eater? Don't you know what he had done to innocent people, what he cruelty he is capable of, and what cruelty he will surely inflict upon the innocence soon?"_ Harry wanted to shout at him, but he refrained from doing so.

Dumbledore's words echoed through his mind.

"_I have confidence in all of you, that you have the ability to see through the surface and look at what is underneath, and judge for yourselves whether something is genuine or not."_

Being the son of a Death Eater had not been Stanley's choice. Just like being a Black had not been Sirius' choice either.

/Yes, this youngster still stands a chance of not walking the same path as his parents, if he dares to make the choice himself. /

No matter how, Stan was Stan, his father was his father… Stan was a Ravenclaw. He would be brainy enough make the choice for himself.

/Just don't let your guard be down completely. No matter to anyone. /

Harry nodded, feeling the tension in his muscles on first noticing Stan leaving him.

"Care to talk about what's troubling you? May be I won't be able to help, but talking about it would make you feel better. " Harry said, casually lowered himself down on the comfortable grass. Padfoot also stretched his dog body out beside Harry.

Stan sat down on the other side of Harry.

"I… it's nothing, really. I'm used to it. Thanks for offering anyway. " the mischievous light in Stan's eye seemed to be reignited.

"Well… perhaps you can help me." There was a suppressed smirk not unlike those from the sneaky Slytherins who were planning to play nasty tricks on Gryffindors.

"How? "

"By letting me experiment- no, I mean examine- your scar! I'm sure I can find a way to cure it. " It was really hard to not notice the boy's enthusiasm over healing.

"No. No one in their right mind would let some stranger poke and mess with their head!"

"Well, I thought we were friends!"

"Who told you so?"

They spent the remaining of lunch break joking with each other, while Stan kept relentlessly bombarding Harry with questions about his scar.

As Stan left for his afternoon class, Harry stayed at the lake side to enjoy the mild sunbath a bit before heading back to the Gryffindor common room with Sirius. It was about time to check on the progress of his friends and then hand in the completed course selection form to Professor McGonagall.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

"Have you really made up your mind? No changes?" McGonagall said as she studied the parchments the trio had handed in. 

"Yes, Professor. Although I don't really want to give up on Ancient Runes… I can't give up the other subjects. " Hermione said.

"I understand how difficult it is to part with pursuing knowledge that you are interested in… I believe you will do just fine with the other subjects," McGonagall smiled almost indulgently at Hermione, before turning her gaze to Harry and Ron, "What about you two?"

"We're sure, Professor." They chorused.

McGonagall nodded and put their parchment away into her desk drawer.

"You will receive your new timetable this Sunday. Now, off you go to dinner."

Hence, the trio made their way to the Great Hall while chatting lightly about what they would do for the coming weekend. Ron was all enthusiastic about planning the Quidditch tryouts and planning the strategies for the upcoming season. Hermione, on the other hand, expressed her eagerness to read the text books for this year, which she had no doubt already read through once.

Just before they turned the last hallway that would lead them into plain sight of the oak door leading to the Great Hall, someone called from behind.

"Harry!"

"Remus- I mean, Professor Lupin, " the three of them turned to find Remus walking towards them with a pile of parchments and books in hands, no doubt just finished his last lesson.

"Have you handed in your selection form?" Remus asked.

"Yes, we've just handed it in. How's your day, Professor Lupin?" Hermione said.

"Well, it has been fantastic," Remus said with an exasperated sigh and a shrug of his shoulder, "those Year Ones… they are too energetic for me."

The trio chuckled at Remus' words.

"I have to drop these-" he tilted his head towards the pile in his hands, "before getting to dinner. Why don't you three go first?"

"Ok, then, see you later." Ron said.

They were turning to leave when Remus called out to them again.

"Hey, I nearly forgot. Harry, Professor Dumbledore told me to tell you that he wanted you to meet him around nine o'clock at his office. "

"Ok… "

"Ok, then, see you later!" Remus then turned to leave.

Harry watched Remus' retreating back in puzzlement. Why would Dumbledore suddenly want to meet him? He hadn't talked to Harry face to face ever since the confrontation they had after Sirius' supposed death.

Hermione and Ron exchanged a quick gaze with each other, but neither of them commented on the incident.

Harry was too preoccupied with the thought of speaking to Dumbledore again that he didn't notice the pale eyes of the person hiding under the shadow of a nearby statue. Neither did Ron nor Hermione.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

When the trio left the Great Hall, they had their stomach stuffed with delicious food. Hermione had talked Harry and Ron into accompanying her to her favourite place – the library. 

They walked just out of the door to find several unwelcome people standing beside the door.

Malfoy, with a goblet of what appeared to be pumpkin juice in hand, was chatting with a bored expression with two Slytherin girls that were younger than they were.

Hermione frowned in disdain at the obvious tactics of the two girls to attract Malfoy's attention. They were both wearing glossy makeup, leaning outrageously close to Malfoy as they whispered and giggled into his ears.

"Hey, Potter. " from the tone of voice, Malfoy was definitely in a good mood. However, that would not mean that he was not looking for trouble. Hence Harry decided to just ignore him. Harry didn't want to waste his energy on him. With a nod of his head, he motioned Ron and Hermione to just walk on.

"How dare you ignore Draco when he speaks to you!" one of the girl squeaked.

Harry then felt cold liquid being spilt onto the back of his head, dripping down his hair. He turned reflexively and glared at the girl who had snatched the goblet of pumpkin juice out of Mafloy's and was shaking it at Harry threateningly.

"What's the problem with you?" Hermione snapped at the girl before Harry could burst out. "Five points from Slytherin for _attacking_ a Prefect."

The girl and her friend shrank back from Hermione's dead glare.

However, Malfoy had not. He didn't even seem to care that Hermione had just deducted points away from his house. The girls were trying to clutch to his robes, but he just swept their hands away as if they didn't exist at all.

He stepped closer to the trio.

"What do you want -" Harry cut off Ron with a firm wave of his hand.

"Malfoy, I don't want to waste my time with you."

"Really? Scared of me now Potter?"

"Very funny, Malfoy." Harry chuckled dryly.

"You will be scared of me soon. I've said that you would regret what you have said before. And you will. "

Something was different in Malfoy's tone. Instead of the usual stupid smugness that make one want to punch his arrogant fact, there was true menace in his demeanor.

"You be careful of what you say Malfoy," Ron said in a low hiss, "we can all hear what you say. If anything happens to Harry, we'd know who to blame."

"Harry… let's go and get washed up." Hermione poked his arm gently while shooting Mafloy the dead glare that was only reserved for him.

Mafloy laughed as the trio walked away.

"Harry, you better _really_ watch your steps from now on." Ron said, while looking around every now and then as if to spot any hidden dangers.

"You don't really reckon he would dare to do anything stupid right under Dumbledore's nose, do you?" Hermione said.

"It's Mafloy we're talking about, Hermi. Even I really hate to admit it, he is not stupid. Not to mention he has a source for learning dangerous dark magic back home…" Ron muttered darkly.

"You two have to be careful too. Now… we would never know for sure if there is infiltration into the school already. Probably there is."

Harry didn't really want to bring up the topic. But he knew deep at heart, the three of them knew for a fact that there were people like Malfoy that would have already joined the rank of Death Eaters. And you never knew who would be the next.

The thought of Death Eaters setting foot on his beloved home, Hogwarts, was really a tormenting thought to Harry. He just hoped that… if only they wouldn't accept students into their rank yet, even if it only meant putting off their joining the Death Eaters by months.

They fell into a contemplative silence as they made their way back to Gryffindor tower.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Soon, it was time to meet Dumbledore. Sirius accompanied Harry to walk to Dumbledore's office. 

/Keep your wits with you, Harry./

/Ok… I just feel… nervous. I'm not sure if I will be able to treat him calmly though. I just couldn't… /

/Just try. Meet you afterwards, ok/

/Ok. /

After Sirius had wandered off, Harry suddenly realized that he hadn't got the password. As he raised his hand to try to knock on the statue, it moved away on its own accord. Harry quickly went up the stairway and knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office.

"Come in, Harry."

Taking a deep breath to try to quench the reluctance to meet the headmaster behind the door, Harry pushed it open anyway.

Dumbledore was sitting at his usual place, looking composed and collected at usual.

It was the same calm expression that drove Harry crazy back in June, when he had tried to explain the mess to Harry.

"Have a seat first, Harry. Do you want a cup of tea?"

"No thanks. " came Harry's cold reply.

"How are you feeling, Harry?"

"I'm fine."

"I understand your grief won't be lightly attenuated… I would understand if you still don't think you are ready to accept my apologies. I was really sorry about what happened."

From the light behind those blazing blue eyes, Harry could tell that Dumbledore was like trying to hand out candies to sooth some children who were throwing tantrum, instead of really being sorry. _How dare he mock my feeling for Sirius? What is he trying to play at?_

"I'm sure you are _sorry_." Harry said with barely concealed rage. Not that he really cared to hide it. How come he had trust this cunning old man before? Was he blind?

"I promise that I won't push you into anything this year, nor will I hide facts that are crucial to you neither." He rest his chin lightly on his crossed fingers and regarded Harry with what he probably thought was a grandfatherly gaze.

Harry could tell the almost mockery behind the kind words and gestures. It was as if Dumbledore was testing his sanity with his sugar coated words, to analyze how much sanity Harry had left after 'losing' his godfather, so that he could reevaluate the situation. So that he could decide where to fit Harry into his manipulation game.

"Quit acting that you care! You, of all people, know nothing about care! You and your talk about how we would be as strong as we are united, as weak as we would be if we are apart. But it was you who tore us apart! You and your manipulation and tactics and strategies! You manipulate people to fit into your web, manipulate people to believe you a wise old man, lead people to rely so on you that when, or if ever, they realize that they are being used, they no longer can EXIST without you! " Harry had somehow stood from his chair while he yelled. He panted heavily and slammed his fist against the polished wooden table; his whole body shook as if it had been he, but not the table, that was hit. The expression on Dumbledore's face taunted him so much. Harry swept the content of the table over. And the porcelain tea cup ended in a crush.

Dumbledore continued to stare at Harry with a neutral or even mildly impressed expression. But the intense and purposeful glint behind the half moon spectacles betrayed his emotion. It looked to Harry that Dumbledore was . . . _delighted_ at Harry's outburst. Was he trying to mock him? Fresh wave of anger washed through Harry's delicate frame again. He opened his month to shout again, but snapped it close abruptly as Dumbledore shot him his trademark piercing gaze. Harry couldn't help but slumped back down into his seat the same time as Dumbledore rose solemnly from his seat. There was no haste in his motion, but the aura he gave off was enough to give even Snape weak knees. Harry realized with a jolt that the tiredness and even the somberness that had settled on Dumbledore's face ever since that fateful night on his fourth year had been replaced by a more serene and resolute expression.

Dumbledore regarded Harry for a short while from his formidable height. "So, are you finished with your childish outburst yet?" Harry had to restrain himself from rubbing his eyes; the old mischievous gleam was back to those crystal blue orbs. "Now we will talk like the adults that we both are and tend to the business at hand."

'The business at hand' turned out to be the matter of learning Oculmency again. Dumbledore decided to teach Harry himself this time. However, he wouldn't be able to spare a lot of time for him regularly, with the workload of headmaster and Order's leader on his shoulder. But they would arrange the time and place for the first session soon. Dumbledore had warned Harry not to take it lightly this time, and that he would expect the best effort out of Harry.

* * *

Later, as Harry walked out of Dumbledore's office, he was still a bit dumbfounded by the turn of events during the meeting with Dumbledore. It was almost as if he was pleased to find out that there was still fire within Harry.

As Harry left Dumbledore's office, the castle was already empty of students and such.

Somehow, something was wrong. The surrounding was still the same old Hogwarts. The same stone statues, the same portraits, the flaring torches. However, it was just so eerily lifeless. Where were the pearly ghostly figures that roamed the hallways? Why weren't any thing moving in the portrait? Even the normal snoring of the figures that lived in the portraits was absence…

The silence was suffocating.

He was conscious of Sirius fast approaching him. His emotion seemed strangely clouded. But Harry could discern the faint worry that seeped through the bond.

Why the worry, though?

His own footstep echoed eerily as he walked along the empty corridor. He wished so much that Sirius could reach him sooner.

All the warning he received was a pricking at the back of his neck, the feeling of being watched. The feeling of being scrutinized by predatory eyes.

The next moment, it seemed that a solid wall knocked into his back, kicking all the wind out of his body.

Harry screamed.

And the world blacked out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	13. Assault in the Dark

Disclaimer: Not a part of Harry Potter belongs to me. I'm just borrowing stuff…

AN: Oh my… what, it's been more than 2 months…. Nearly 3 months since my last update… school work has been killing me almost literally … and exam is coming up in May(scream in horror…. ) the delay really was not due to not knowing how to continue… I have written up most of this chapter like months ago… but I just seem couldn't find the time or the energy to type them up…

Sorry for leaving everyone in a nasty cliffy for so long. This chapter is very very short, it's not even half of what I have originally planed for this chapter… but I just want to resolve the cliffy and post with this first…

Thanks for all those who have reviewed. Please stick with me and I will try my best to post another chapter before the nasty exam arrives….

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

* * *

Chapter 13 **Assault in the Dark**

Harry returned to the world of consciousness painfully.

His whole body ached and screamed in protest of being violently crashed into the hard floor. There was a pounding in his head as if someone was drilling through his way through his skull.

He tried to push himself up from the floor, but was rewarded with a mad spinning of the ground beneath him as soon as he moved his upper body and head a bit off the ground. He fell back down heavily, the impact threatening to snatch away his consciousness again.

However, something kept nagging his mind, commanding him to stay awake.

/Harry! HARRY! Wake up/

Who the hell was shouting and stabbing at his mind so sharply?

The cloudiness over his mind was cleared considerably by the wave of urgency and panic that flooded through the bond.

/Sirius/ he thought weakly.

His body was jerked up in shock as stabs of excruciating pain flooded through the bond. His mind was thrown back in rapt clarity by that pain. He struggled to lift himself up the floor and stood clutching the wall, fighting hard against the maddening protest of his mind and his wobbly legs to simply collapse again.

The first thing he noticed was the low growl of two wounded animals.

The second thing that came to his attention was the complete darkness of the hallway. When had the torches illuminating the hallway gone out?

And, above all, he felt pain. Pain from the other being that he held so closely to his heart.

/Sirius! Where're you? What's happening/ Harry thought frantically, his shaky hand searching for his wand in his robe.

/Harry! Go! Just go! I'll hold it off -/ his thought was cut off.

With dismay, Harry heard the wounded howl of his godfather and the clash of something big colliding into the floor. His bone chilled at the triumphant growl of the other beast and the sound of its clawed paws screeching against the tiles, ready to spring –

Harry's fingers closed around his wand. Strength seemed to rush back to his body.

"_Lumous_!" Harry yelled, the blinding flash of light appeared just in time to reveal the unsightly beast, twice as massive as Padfoot, that were just merely four meters from him, charging in great leaps towards him in an alarming speed.

Harry realized what a big trouble he was in as he met the unseeing white gaze of the beast for the split of a second – it was blind and that's why it hadn't flinched in the slightest from the blinding light.

Harry rowed sideway without delay at the realization, barely avoiding being crashed by the beast headlong into the wall. He tried to return to a crouching position where he could attempt an attack, but the beast was too fast. It leapt at him even before his rowing motion stopped completely.

"_Reductio_!" Harry screamed, and by sheer luck alone, the curse hit the beast square in the chest. The beast was blasted off and forced back, but not before slashing Harry's left shoulder with its sharp claws, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from Harry.

Harry staggered and fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding shoulder.

From the angry growl of the beast charging at him yet again, Harry knew he merely had succeeded in angering the beast, but not injuring it in the slightest.

A sense of doom descended, and Harry squeezed his eyes shut.

Harry waited. But the claw that would snatch his life way didn't fall.

Wounded howl of two beasts shook Harry away from his stupor. Without doubt, it was Sirius who saved him from the claws of death once again. Sirius, who was limping due to a bone-crushing wound on his left hind leg. Sirius, who was hurt like hell yet yelling through the mutual link for Harry to run for his life while he held the beast off. Sirius, whom Harry nearly, almost had lost.

He could not let _anything_ happen to Sirius.

Harry steadied his grip on his wand, calmed his ragged breathing down, and stood.

The beast that assaulted them screamed as Sirius' sharp teeth sank into the back of its neck. Blood split out, yet it only added to the beast's furious struggle, as it snared, clawed and bit to get Padfoot off its neck. The two massive creatures rowed and crashed around, limbs tangled and twisted together without stop. Harry simply couldn't aim –

In Harry's moment of hesitation, the beast finally threw Padfoot off.

Harry's jolted in pain as Sirius was crashed against wall. Harry clutched his ribs and bent, the pain was real, as if it had been his ribs that were broken, not Sirius's. Waves of nausea and dizziness hit him, for Sirius had been thrown into the world of unconsciousness.

Despite the white hot agony, despite the protest of the body for him to just pass out, despite the cry from his heart to go and check on his fallen Godfather, Harry shut himself down from the pain and took aim, because the power that had been building up had screamed for release.

'_Expelliarmus! Reductio! Stupify_!'

Three blasts of raw power left his wand tip almost at once. They were so brilliant, and faster than lightning.

The blasts of lights was detained by an invisible shell just merely inches from touching the beast. But soon the sheer power of the curses shattered the shield, and hit the beast square in the chest.

The blood-curling howl of the dying monster was the last thing that Harry heard as his body, being thrown back due to the immense recoiling force of the curse he cast, collided with the wall behind him.

' _I have to help Sirius.' _It was Harry's last thought as cruel darkness engulfed his consciousness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Harry woke with a heavy pounding pain in his head and the awareness of the dim light of the corridor.

Groaning in pain, Harry tried to assess the situation he was in. It seemed that he had just pass out for a few moment. He was half lying, half sitting against the wall, upon a pool of his own blood. Blood was still dripping steadily from the gaping wound on his shoulder.

Harry could see the monster, now thankfully dead, lying several meters away from him. It was a bloody mess that Harry couldn't make himself set his eyes upon twice.

Despite the beast's death, something was terribly wrong.

There seemed to be something _important_ missing. As Harry searched within himself, there was an awful ache in his heart, and a gaping hole at the back of his mind…

_Sirius_!

Harry's frantic gaze darted across the floor and fell onto the immobile dog lying a short distance away from him.

Though he was so close within Harry's sight, Harry couldn't feel his presence through the bond.

It was as if someone had brutally ripped a part of Harry's soul away from him. It was as if their connection, the bond that Harry thought was more than important than his life, had been severed.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled, his voice hoarse, as he try to bolt to his godfather.

The world rotated as soon as Harry tried to move. But it by no means stopped Harry from half running, half crawling to the unconscious animagus.

Harry refused to acknowledge the terrible question rapidly rising in his mind. He dropped to a crouch besides Sirius. With a shaky hand, Harry tilted Padfoot's head towards him and felt for its snout with the other hand. And waited.

Tears of relief fell as soon as the breath of life from Padfoot's nose stroke Harry's fingers.

Quickly rubbing his tears away, Harry realized he had no time to waste. From the bond previously, Harry knew Sirius must have broken his ribs. It might have punctured his lung, regarding the pained and ragged way Padfoot was breathing.

Harry felt faint just by looking at the pool of blood that continued to grow in size on the floor.

Sirius's life was dripping away as time ticked by.

Harry mustered his last strength to perform the levitation charm on Sirius. He didn't dare to move or touch Sirius with his bare hands for fear that he might accidentally move and worsen the condition of any damaged parts.

Harry's unsteady footsteps echoed through the hallway as he walked as fast as he could, with Padfoot's prone body floating just besides him.

Harry had always been able to see Sirius even when the Concealment Charm had been in place. Padfoot's prone form had not really looked different to him, yet Harry knew without doubt that charm's power was weakened. Anyone that stumbled upon them then would be able to see Sirius.

Yet Harry could not seriously worry about that yet, as there was a much more urgent matter at hand. Before he could pass out from exhaustion and loss of blood, Harry had to get Sirius to the only person he could turn to – Madam Pomfrey.

Harry knew he really had to hurry.

Sirius's breathing was becoming more and more shallow.

But he could walk no faster. It was harder and harder to lift his foot and force it forward for another step.

The road to hospital wing had never been so long.

_If only he could make it in time..._

_He had to, no matter what. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

AN: again, sorry for the shortness.

Please… click the little review button and give me some motivation and ideas… I really am needing those…


	14. Aftermath

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.

AN: well, this is it. I tried my best, but I could get no longer than this before my dreadful exam.

Thanks for all your kind reviews for the last chapter.

In response to my wonderful reviewers… now, honestly, I created this story so as to let Sirius live again… seriously, you don't think I would kill him off _Just_ like that, do you? (well, at least not until the end of this fanfic! Though I think you all could tell by now how likely that would be… but suspense is always good! One could never tell!)

I wish I would have a lot more time to sit down and write… but exams are coming!

And… whether Sirius' survival would be revealed just yet… you would get some clues in this chapter!

Finally….. on my dialogue being too awkward and formal sometimes… I think it's kind of inevitable, considering English is not my mother language and I don't speak it on a day-to-day basis, but… I would try to keep that in mind!

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! Now on with the story!

(Beware: this chapter was written/typed in a rush… hope it's not too bad…)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Chapter 14 **Aftermath**

The person that had been hiding behind a corner waited until all the sound had died down.

He really wished he would see Potter's dead body when he turned into the hallway.

Yet, what he saw was just the mutilated body of the beast.

"Stupid beast." He wanted to kick the dead body in frustration, but refrained from doing so, so as not to get the blood on his robes.

"Lucky brat." He spat in venom as he drew his wand out to clear up the dead body.

He had to get the 'dirty work' done quickly before anyone come to the scene.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

* * *

Madam Pomfrey was checking up on the stock of the healing potion. The term had just started for a week. So far, 8 students had visited the hospital wing. 5 of them were due to cold, 1 due to food poisoning (the silly girl ate a stale cake she had brought from home) and the last 2 due to fighting.

Madam Pomfrey was checking on the shelf with bone-regrowing potion when someone knocked on the door.

"Madam Pomfrey! Open the door!" the person outside shouted.

She recognized the voice of one of the frequent 'user ' of the hospital wing.

"Mr Potter!" She gasped on seeing the battered state of the teenager in front of her. Blood was oozing freely down the gapping wound on his left shoulder. The visible parts of his body was covered with cuts and bruises. His face was so pale from the pain and loss of blood.

"Please save him!" Just then she noticed the floating dog that was being directed into the hospital wing. Harry lowered it down to an empty hospital bed.

Pomfrey wasn't even sure if the dog was alive or not. Harry gripped the edge of the bed very tightly, looked ready to fall unconscious at any moment. Yet he fixed Pomfrey with such a pleading and desperate gaze.

"Please! He's dying... Save him!"

Pomfrey swiftly took her wand out.

"You go to a bed first. I'll check on you before I -"

"No! I'm ok! Save him first, please -"

"You are definitely not ok! I've to make sure you're not going to die on me when I -"

"No!" Harry pointed his wand at Madam Pomfrey. His wand point shook. "He's _dying_ as we argued here. I'm not receiving any treatment unless you save him first!"

Pomfrey knew stubbornness and a lost course when she saw one.

"Ok. At least sit down. " she performed a quick and temporary clotting charm on Potter first to prevent him from bleeding to death. Then she proceeded to perform general assessment of the dog's condition.

Only then did Pomfrey really observe the giant black dog for the first time. Somehow, it looked vaguely familiar…

She was not especially adept at curing animals, but what she knew would have to do.

Once her mind was fixed on healing, all other questions, worries and the outside world were pushed aside. Soon her mind set was settled to the absolute concentration level required for healing.

She ran her wand over the dog's torso and performed a quick diagnostic spell checking the dog's current status.

"3 fractured ribs… punctured pleura, lungs still intact… lucky for him," she muttered to herself as her wand tip lingered over the dog's chest and then its abdomen, " internal bleeding due to trauma .. hypotension… the blood loss is too severe. "

She then set into motion to get various potions to replace the loss blood and mend the most life-threatening of the injuries.

After performing instant but temporary clotting spell, Pomfrey fed the dog with the various potions she had fetched. Then she started the strenuous process of using spells to re-connect the fractured bone.

X X X X X X X

After around twenty minutes of undivided attention, Pomfrey finally fell back down onto a chair besides the bed in exhaustion and relief. The dog's life had been saved, at least for now.

And then she remembered Potter, who had seemed terribly quiet throughout the healing.

She turned to see that Potter had already fainted in his seat.

"Mr. Potter, you really owe me one this time… wait till you're awake!" she said to herself as she levitated Potter to the nearest bed.

Although the question of what within the castle had inflicted such serious damage to them nagged really did raise serious concern, Madam Pomfrey had to put it aside for the moment being.

Undivided attention was what she had to give for the complicated healing spells she was about to deliver. As always, she could afford not even the tiniest of mistake.

After no more than twenty minutes, Pomfrey let out a breath and mopped her forehead with a handkerchief. She was finally finished with the initial treatment of Potter. Although his wound wasn't really life-threatening – if the blood loss had been allowed to accumulate, it would have threatened his life – but the wound was deep. It was some sort of claw wound made by a very strong and large creature, judging from the size of the wound. Madam Pomfrey had to clean the wound thoroughly, made sure that there had been no fragments of bones or dirt left inside, which had been a delicate and draining job. She also had to give him fluid replacement for the blood loss. At least 2 days of bed rest would be in place…

Pomfrey checked on the dog and found to her satisfaction that it was in stable condition. Then she put on a cloak and prepared to leave the hospital wing. Someone had got to inform the headmaster of this incident. The beast that had wounded the poor boy might still be roaming unchecked in the castle…

"Madam Pomfrey? " Potter moaned weakly, trying to get himself up from his bed.

"No, you don't! " Madam Pomfrey quickly pushed Potter gently but firmly back onto the bed.

"Is he ok?" without his glasses on, he squinted to try to check on his dog.

"Yes. Now rest."

"Where're you going?" he said, looking at the cloak she had donned.

"I'm going to inform the Headmaster of this. Mr. Potter, what attacked you? Do you think it's still inside the castle?"

Potter looked with a frown on his face over his dog before answering.

"It's dead. It's in the corridor just outside the Charm's classroom. "

"You killed it? "

"I did…"

"Ok, then, rest. Someone will get the details of this incident out of you later. You need to rest for your wound to heal properly."

"But, Madam Pomfrey – please don't tell Professor Dumbledore about my dog, can you?"

"Why? Where does this dog come from?"

"It's … it's my dog. I … "

"How come you have brought it to Hogwarts?"

"I just got it over the summer when I was with my relatives… it has been my only companion… it's very loyal …I just can't leave it with my relatives when I come to school, as you see, they're not very fond of it… I have to bring it with me. If it hasn't intervened when the beast attacked me, I would have died. Please… don't tell professor Dumbledore or any other people about it… they would take it away from me, and I - "

Madam Pomfrey had dealt with teenagers for too long to not recognize a lie when she saw one. However, the desperation in his voice had not been faked.

She always made it a point not to disclose any unnecessary information of the students to the teachers, as long as such information won't really hurt anyone, including that student him/herself. After all, she had to respect her patients' privacy. More importantly, if she started reporting everything the students had done wrong, no one would dare to turn to Madam Pomfrey after injury for fear that they would get reported, which would always make the injury worse. But of course she couldn't really let the students know about that. She also often made it a point to scold students who have performed stupid feat harshly.

"But I can't lie to the headmaster, you know that."

"Please, you don't need to lie… just don't mention it… or else he would not let me keep it… "

"You are being childish and silly, Harry. You are a year six student already, not a six-year-old. I will have none of more of this nonsense now. "

"But -"

"Sleep and rest before you start worrying about anything else, you get that?" Madam Pomfrey didn't give him any chance to protest as she pushed him back and tucked him in. Potter really was too tired to protest anyway, and his eyelid dropped quickly.

She finally left the hospital wing to go to Dumbledore's office.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Remus put down his quill to rub his eyes. Grading those children's homework had always be tedious and frustrating and difficult (although sometimes it would be outrageously amusing, laughing at the absurdity of the silly answers they gave). After hours of straining to discern those boys's actually unreadable writing, his eyes really felt like shutting down forever.

He leaned back in his armchair and stretched his long limbs a bit.

The fire in the hearth flared up and turned a brilliant green before dying down to its original height. It was a signal that someone was calling him via the internal floo network. Remus quickly crouched down besides the fireplace.

News at such a late hour normally wouldn't be any good.

"Remus, " Dumbledore's head was immersed in the green flame.

"What's the matter?"

"Harry was attacked." His grim expression chilled Remus' heart.

"Is he alright?"

"Yes. He apparently got attacked after he met with me tonight, on his way back to his common room. He claimed that he has killed whatever it was that attacked him and went to Madam Pomfrey for help afterwards. He lost some blood, got a few gashes, but nothing Madam Pomfrey hasn't already taken care of. "

"So is he now in the hospital wing? How come he is attacked within Hogwarts?" if even Hogwarts had been infiltrated with the dark forces… what were they going to do?

"According to Poppy, he is now sleeping in the hospital wing. What I want to know now, is what, why and how he was attacked. Meet me at the corridor outside Charm's classroom. We'll find out."

Remus quickly left his sleeping quarter. As he stepped into the empty hallway, there was a moment of hesitation of where he should go. He wanted to go to the hospital wing to check on Harry. Even if Dumbledore had assured him that Harry was ok, he couldn't help but want to prove it with his own eyes to see to it that he really was ok…

Yet, in the end, he decided that he had better not disturb Harry's rest.

…………………………………….

When he arrived, Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, Snape and McGonagall were already there. After a nod to them, Remus surveyed the scene. There was dark blood, scratch marks of claws and burnt marks of spells missing their target on the floor, the wall and pillars. The extent of area involved indicated how fierce the fight the fight had been.

Dumbledore was examining the scratch marks and blood on the floor. McGonagall had her wand out and was performing some sort of diagnostic spell around the area, a stern frown set on her face. Madam Pomfrey looked slightly uncomfortable, standing to a side, maybe feeling nauseated with the blood.

Snape, on the other hand, was standing there, cool and his usual scowl in place, while his coat black eyes were scanning the area silently, taking in every little details.

"Albus, I thought you said the beast has been killed. Where's its body?" Remus asked.

"It's not here when we arrived."

The absence of body screamed definite foul play from someone from within Hogwarts.

"How long has transpired between Harry first stepped in the hospital wing to when we arrive here?" Remus asked.

"Less than an hour. Probably less than forty minutes." Madam Pomfrey said, pulling her cloak closer around her body.

"There is the residue of silencing charm performed over this corridor. The caster has tried to eliminate the residue, though the handiwork was not done well enough." McGonagall said.

The heavy and rapid footsteps announced the presence of another person.

"Professor Dumbledore. I come as soon as I received your call. " It was Hagrid with his cross bow in his hand, his face dark with worry, "Is Harry alrigh'?"

"Yes. He's hurt, but he'll survive." Madam Pomfrey answered for Dumbledore.

"Hagrid, you can go visit him tomorrow. Now I need your expertise here." Dumbledore waved his hand over the scene.

Hagrid nodded. He started examining the hallway.

"There're at leas' bin two animals. The fightin' has been brutal… also someone cast some defensive spells, no doubt Harry?" Hagrid dipped his finger into a pool of blackened and almost dried up blood on the floor and sniffed.

"It's a shadow ogre. "

"We do have those vicious creatures in the Forrest, don't we?" Remus asked

"Yes, we do."

"They're fierce and powerful predator, no doubt about it. But they don't normally fancy human fresh… certainly not to the extent that they would come all the way inside the castle to prey on some random people…"

"No, they surely wouldn'. After the hundreds of years of dwellin' the forrest, I have no ever heard of them getting in the castle or even hurtin' no one. "

"Someone bewitched it?" McGonagall asked.

"Probably no. Yeh jus' don' curse it. Their fur's highly magic repellen', actually. It'd require a real high level of energy ter break through."

"It's apparently the handiwork of a Death Eater or someone related to them," Snape spoke for the first time, his tone lazy as if he did not really care about it. "The principal is the same to the increased incidence of people being attacked by wild animals recently. Someone has developed portions that carry the smell of the prey those beasts lust after. They would spill the portion onto their target and then all they have to do is to wait for the beast to do all the dirty work for them. "

"But our culprit has done a little bit more than just wait," Remus said, " he or she wanted to prevent people from coming to Harry's rescue. However, judging from the skill, he probably was not experienced enough in such deeds. "

"Which probably means," Dumbledore said, frowning with tiredness, "it could be a student being instructed by someone outside… to attack Harry. He apparently knew of the meeting between Harry and me tonight to have planned the attack at a time when Harry would be most vulnerable to fall for it. "

Dumbledore turned his gaze to Remus.

"You told me to tell Harry about the meeting time today. When I told him, Hermione and Ron were there with him. I'm not sure if anyone nearby was eavesdropping on us. I'm not sure whether any of the three have told anyone else about it. " Remus said.

Dumbledore nodded and then turned his gaze downwards and contemplated the situation.

"Albus…" Snape stepped closer to Dumbledore to speak quietly with him.

Remus couldn't really make out what they were talking about. But judging from the expression on Dumbledore's face, the information Snape provided seemed to help him make the necessary connection between the bits and pieces of clues they had gathered so far.

As Snape stepped back, Dumbledore nodded to himself.

"Ok, then… we do have a suspect after all. Severus, perhaps we should discuss this at my office. The rest of you please help clean up this mess. Hagrid, help me identify what the other animal present here has been. Thanks for your help here tonight."

After issuing his orders, Dumbledore left with Snape. Hagrid bent over the battle scene to try to figure out more about the fight that had taken place there.

"I wonder how Mr. Potter has defeated a shadow ogre by himself." McGonagall said, "not to mention it must have taken him by surprise."

"He's a strong boy… and he's got experience for such thing… " Remus said, feeling relieved that Harry was OK, at the same time also worried if anything like this would happen again. One can only have so much luck…

"Silly boy…" Madam Pomfrey muttered to herself. Then she turned to Remus and McGonagall "I'll have to go back to check on Mr. Potter now, if you don't mind."

She was a bit pale under the torch light.

"No, Poppy, of course we wouldn't mind. You must be very tired after the healing… do go and catch some rest." McGonagall said.

She walked off.

Remus stood, staring at the scene, pondering everything, especially the meaning behind the attack.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

AN: well, that's it for the moment being. Hope it's not too bad. 


	15. Choices

Disclaimer : Harry Potter doesn't not belong to me

Author's Note: What… nearly four and a half months from my last update! It really breaks some record now?

Really sorry for the long delay… it's hard to find time to write regularly now that school work is so heavy, but I will try…

Really huge thanks to all readers who reviewed

Special thanks to emikae, who has stick with me from the very beginning, and whose last review really really hit me hard – if I didn't start writing then, I would lose this fic. Thanks for giving me back the motivation!

Now that HP 6 is already out, this fic can be officially regarded as AU now… I liked hp 6 much more than hp 5, but just like hp 5, the death in hp 6 is really unbearable for me… and I am in denial once again! (not dead! Not dead! There must be some tricks only!)

Anyway, please read and review! Honestly speaking, your reviews are what make me keep going. I need to know that someone other than myself is enjoying this fic…

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Chapter 15 Choices

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

It was a familiar voice that woke Harry up. 

"I wonder why such things always happen to him. " A girl's voice said.

"It's because he is _the_ Harry Potter." A boy's voice said.

Harry was too tired to open his eyes.

"Ron! Don't say so… " As the fog in Harry's mind cleared up, he recognized the voice as that of Hermione's.

"But I mean… he's destined to attract trouble. He's probably in one of the first few places of You-Know-Who's hit list… what else do you expect? "

"I know… but I'm so worried for him. We're in Hogwarts, for crying out loud! If he can be attacked here, then no place is safe for him anymore. "

"No where is safe for anyone anymore, Hermi. "

Harry opened his eyes for a bit… and immediately closed them. The invasion of light into his darkness hurt… like a knife searing straight through his head.

"I guess we really have to look out for him."

"Ron, I think Harry's awake."

"No, I'm not. " Harry groaned, his voice croaky, his throat completely dry.

Ron and Hermione quickly sprang up from their chairs and came to his side and assisted him to sit up against the pillow. Ron headed him his glasses while Hermione brought him a glass of water, relieving his burning throat.

Harry couldn't help but wonder how many times it had been for his two best friends to see to him like this. How many times had he been lucky enough to escape death and to wake up again? How many times had other waited in anxiety for him to wake up? How many times will it be till the end?

How soon it would be before the waiting had to stop and they have to weep upon his grave?

Harry shuddered at the sudden gloomy thought. He took a large gulp from the glass. He put it down and winced.

"Where does it hurt? " Ron asked.

"Everywhere. What do you -"

"Don't you dare to ever pull such a stunt on us again, Harry. " Hermione cut him off sharply. "Even if whatever attacked you didn't kill you, I'll personally finish you off, bare-handed if need be!"

Hermione's eyes looked red and puffy. Had she not slept or had she been crying?

"Ok. I'll try."

Harry then closed his eyes and thought about what happened.

He went to see Dumbledore… then Sirius had been afraid of something… he was attacked… Sirius came to his rescue…

_Sirius…!_

He snapped his eyes open and let his gaze darted about.

"What're you looking for? There's no one inside the hospital wing except us. Madam Pomfrey's meeting with Dumbledore. She'll be back soon." Ron said, frowning.

Harry was only half listening to Ron. His heart rate was speeding up in anxiety.

"It's nothing."

He didn't for a moment believe that Ron and Hermione would believe him. However, he couldn't care about that in that moment.

He closed his eyes and searched within his mind the link that was so important.

He searched, and reached out, and searched.

Finally he picked up on the thin thread that still connected him with another being. It was weak, unlike the usually pulsating warmth. It was nearly torn apart by last night's mortal peril on both parties.

It was weak. But it was still there.

Sirius was alive. That's all that mattered. Although, more heavily injured than Harry was, how Sirius could have recovered enough to be able to get out before the others arrived baffled him.

"Harry? Harry!"

Harry opened his eyes at long last.

"Harry, don't space out on us like that, can you?" Hermione said.

"Sorry."

Harry just cast his gaze downwards.

"What happened last night, mate?" Ron asked, obviously noting Harry's reluctance to talk about what had just transpired.

"What do you know?"

"When we waited and waited and you didn't show up last night, we went to McGonagall's. She told us that you were attacked, but wouldn't say anymore than your life was not in danger. We wanted to see you then, but she forbade us from going till morning."

"Well, there really isn't much to tell," Harry said. And then he proceeded to tell them what happened last night, omitting the part the he was not killed on the spot only because he was saved by Sirius.

They then discussed what the purpose (well, except wanting Harry killed) behind the attack would be. That person had to know that Harry would be stranded alone that night in that part of the castle. But except Dumbledore, Harry himself, Remus, Ron and Hermione, no one else really knew about Harry's meeting with Dumbledore.

Just when they were debating on the part whether the creature had been smuggled from outside the castle or from the Forbidden Forest, Madam Pomfrey returned. Within less than twenty seconds, she ushered Ron and Hermione out of the room while muttering darkly under her breath about how fragile her patient was and how they should not overwork him. Ron and Hermione knew better than to argue and promised Harry to visit later in the day as the door of the hospital wing was shut on their face.

Madam Pomfrey ordered Harry to rest straight away without saying anything further. Harry was a bit anxious about whether she had told the professors about him bringing Padfoot to hospital wing last night, but the outraged expression on her face stopped Harry from asking further.

As soon as his head hit the pillow again, he drifted to the world of unconsciousness again.

His question was answered later that evening when Remus came visit him. Judging from the fact that he hadn't asked anything about any dogs at all, it seemed that Madam Pomfrey had really told no one of his secret.

Remus asked in details concerning what happened before, during and after the attack. Harry tried to be as vague as possible about how he killed the beast. He surely didn't want to raise any suspicion.

"You're really very lucky, Harry, " Remus said, "according to Hagrid's guess, the creature that attacked you was a shadow ogre. It's a really aggressive predator, with hide that is highly magic repellent. Several of those are believed to be residing in the Forbidden Forest currently. "

"What do you mean by Hagrid's guess? Can't he recognize the body of that thing?"

"Well, you probably do not know… the body of the beast was not there when we arrived at the scene. According to Poppy, we arrived there less than forty minutes after you arrived at hospital wing. All that has been left was the creature's blood and the signs of the fight."

"So it means someone is behind it, right? That person must be nearby when the fight happened."

"Yes. What's more, there were signs of silencing charm being cast over that corridor. "

Harry ran his hand over his hair. Something just didn't add up.

"But… if the purpose of this attack was really to kill me, that person could have easily finished me off then. I was nearly out of it after I killed that beast."

"Indeed… I'll discuss it further with Professor Dumbledore. In the mean time, take care of yourself, will you? "

"I will try. You know I never intentionally look for trouble, though. " Harry watched as Remus stood up to leave, "thanks for visiting."

"No problem, Harry," as Remus turned to make for the door, he stopped mid-track and turned back.

Harry looked at Remus expectantly.

"By the way, you said the corridor was dark when the shadow ogre attacked you," Remus sounded like he wasn't really sure if he should be asking this, "are you sure that only one creature attacked you? Could there be more than one?"

Harry tried very hard to keep his expression as natural and as impassive as possible.

"I'm not very sure actually… everything happened so fast. I couldn't really see clearly in the dark. Why ask this?"

"Well, it's nothing…just that we found something strange at the fight scene. It's probably nothing. I've got to go now. See you later."

Harry waved his goodbye as Remus left the hospital wing.

He signed in relieve as the door was closed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Harry opened his eyes.

In the darkness, he could feel the breath and the heat of the animal standing just besides his bed.

He almost shot out of the bed. His shoulder hurt immensely with the sudden movement, but it didn't stop Harry from throwing his arms around the neck of his godfather.

/Sirius/

Harry kept calling out fervently to the part of his mind that connected him to Sirius, but it was like some mirage in desert that he couldn't reach no matter how hard he tried.

Padfoot moaned slightly. Harry immediately withdrew his arms. He must have hurt him.

Harry's eyes gradually adapted to the darkness of the hospital wing. He could discern the outline of his godfather, sitting upright besides his bed, his pale blue eyes alert. He didn't seem to be in too much pain.

"Are you ok?" Harry whispered.

Padfoot nodded his head.

"What's happening? Why can't we communicate? "

Padfoot shook his head slightly. He looked around and then pointed his paw towards the bedside table, where the torn but cleaned school robe rest upon the table top. Harry reached his hand towards the robe, not sure what Padfoot was trying to say. But as he rummaged around blindly for a moment, he soon got hold of his wand.

May be he would be able to re-strengthen the bond?

"_tego texi tectum_" Harry said softly as his wand-holding hand carried out the practiced, complex wrist movement. His wand was pointed to the spot midway between Padfoot's blue eyes as he finished the last syllable of the incantation.

_Again, the outside world was lost to Harry. Treading through the current and turbulence of thoughts and memories, Harry fought to hold himself steady and struggled towards the distant beam of pale blue light that was Sirius. It was difficult as the beam seemed to waver and drift further away. There seemed to be something invisible that was snatching them apart. But Harry was more than resolute. He searched within his exhausted self for the strength to move forward. Slowly but surely, the beam was nearer and nearer. Harry reached out …_

Harry's hand was trembling as it put the wand back on top of the school robe on the bedside table. He was so drained that he couldn't really hold a coherent thought. But he wanted to check on something first. He wanted to make sure that he succeeded. What was it that was so important?

/Rest now, Harry. We can talk tomorrow./

The voice immediately pacified his racing mind.

Harry closed his eyes and slept.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

* * *

When Harry woke up again, he felt drained, but refreshed. 

/Good afternoon, sleepy head. / Sirius' voice rang through his mind.

/Sirius/ Harry sat up and grabbed for his glasses.

Harry studied his godfather under the sunlight of late afternoon. Besides his fur looking a bit tangled and dirty, he actually looked fine.

/How are you feeling, Sirius? You were more gravely injured than I was. How come … you recover so fast/

/Well, I am strong, that's why. / He gave Harry a wolfish grin. /Or you can say that Madam Pomfrey's skill is so supreme. /

Harry stared at Padfoot a bit doubtfully.

/I was so worried when I woke up yesterday and didn't see you, you know. /

/yeah, I know. I couldn't very well stay where people can see me before you re-strengthen the bond, because the concealment charm's potency was significantly reduced. People would have seen me. /

/Why did the charm become weaker/

/Well… it's because it was built upon the bond between us. The strength of the bond is largely dependent on our life force… the source of our magic. As our lives were gravely threatened, the bond was jeopardized. /

/Whatever the mechanism… as soon as both of us are ok now…/

They chatted for a while before Madam Pomfrey came to check on Harry.

After a lot of pleading on Harry's part, Madam Pomfrey reluctantly agreed to discharge him.

"You take good care of yourself. I don't want to see your face within the hospital wing this term, unless it is to visit someone."

"Ok. Thanks Madam Pomfrey. "

"And, send your dog away as soon as possible. I'll tolerate no more nonsense from you. If I see the dog in my sight just once - "

"I understand. Really thank you for not telling the other about my dog. I promise you I will get it away as soon as possible. "

And then Harry fled from hospital wing with Padfoot close on his trail. They visited the kitchen to grab an early dinner before going out to stride near the giant lake. Then they went back to Griffindor's common room and as soon as Harry entered, people kept bombarding him with questions. Luckily, Ron and Hermione were there to chase the crowd away.

Harry seized the chance to go back up his room as soon as the chance presented itself. He by then already felt drained and soon fell asleep again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

"Mr Malfoy, have you ever heard of a creature called 'shadow ogre' before? " Dumbledore fixed his eyes on the student sitting in front of him. 

Malfoy's face paled even more, which was quite an accomplishment considering the originally pale complexion. His expression remained impassive, however.

"I haven't. "

"Have you heard from your father lately, then?"

"I can't exactly talk to him nowadays, can I? After all, he's still under custody and investigation for some false charges against him." The arrogant light shining through the pale eyes was as if daring Dumbledore to doubt otherwise.

"I guess I will just have to be blunt with you, Mr. Malfoy. " Dumbledore said, lowering his half moon spectacle a bit to study him clearer. "I have got no solid proof, but evidence are pointing towards you that you're the one who planned this attack on Mr. Potter. "

"So what? As you've said, you've no solid proof."

"I have eye witness who remembered seeing you spill something onto Mr. Potter that evening."

"It wasn't even me, Professor. It were two girls who - "

"You want me to question Miss. White and Miss. Watson, then? "

Malfoy's month was still open in mid-sentence, a bit taken aback that Dumbledore had already found out the name of the two girls present.

"Yes, I have done my research. If I really want to, I can conjure up the proof that I need. But that's not what I want to do, yet."

Malfoy simply glared at Dumbledore.

"Is it really what you want, Draco? " Dumbledore asked softly, his gaze so searching and piercing, that Malfoy soon had to lower his gaze.

"I don't know what you're - "

"You _do_ know, Draco. There's no point pretending that you don't. How you were raised, what sort of environment you have grown up in, you couldn't control. But what you will become – you _still_ can. May be you really believe in what your family did, but think about it - it is really what you want, or is it just what your family expected of you?"

Malfoy pushed himself up from the chair.

"I've had enough of your nonsense. If you're done with your rumbling, or if you're not, I'm going anyway."

With a swish of his robe, Malfoy swept out of the office.

"Whether you like it or not, I've to try… " Dumbledore rested his chin upon his slender fingers, and signed.

Just as he was pondering what options were left concerning how to handle the situation with Malfoy, someone knocked at his door.

"Come in."

The door was swung open. Standing in the door, was a tall, thin wizard with unmistakable red hair and freckled face. He was wearing the Ministry usual work robe. Adjusting his horn-rimmed spectacles, Percy Weasley gave Dumbledore a stiff bow.

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore."

For a moment, Dumbledore almost thought it was the head boy, who had been so enthusiastic with his duty that every few days he would come to report to him personally regarding various matter, such as how Peeves was distressing the first year girls, how they should set up study group to help the year five students cope with their O.W.L.s…

But Percy had graduated for two years already, and no longer his enthusiastic, albeit a bit too ambitious at time, student.

Dumbledore had been so taken with the incidence with Harry last night that he had nearly forgotten his appointment with the Minister's personal assistant.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Weasley. I believe you have brought words from the Minister for Magic? "

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore conjured up two cups of hot, honeyed tea as Percy was busy withdrawing a thick pile of parchments from his robes.

Dumbledore signed inwardly as he was totally not keen to hear the numerous petty complains and questions Fudge had managed to come up with this time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

. 

After the morning's lesson, Harry grabbed a piece of meat pie and a goblet of pumpkin juice from the Great Hall and ate as he walked towards Dumbledore's office. This time, he received a note from Dumbledore at breakfast from one of the school owl. All the note had said was that Harry were to meet Dumbledore during lunch time that day.

He was gulping down the last mouthful of meat pie as he turned around a corner. Someone apparently turned the corner at the same time. Harry and that person were thrown back and both staggered for a few steps. Harry nearly choked on his last bite of food.

"Sorry -" Harry immediate shut up his reflex to apologize as he saw who it was that he had collided with.

It was none other than a very foul-mooded Malfoy.

"Potter."

"Malfoy."

If looks could kill, then both of them would have died by then.

They glared at each other for what seemed like ages, both tense up and aching to draw their wand, before one of them moved a muscle.

Malfoy straightened his robes and put his legendary scowl in place.

"Going to see you master now, aren't you?"

"What're you moaning about, Malfoy?"

"You're Dumbledore's pet, aren't you? Always Mr. Potter this, Mr. Potter that. "

"Quit it, Malfoy. " Harry was not very sure what's on Malfoy's mind at that moment. He seemed quite agitated about something.

Harry decided that he didn't really want to play Malfoy's stupid game. With a last disdainful glare at Malfoy, Harry turned to leave. He was alert for any sound of sudden movement as he strode down the corridor, ready to turn or dive at any signs of attack from Malfoy. Not that he really expected Malfoy would dare to attack him in broad daylight.

But thinking deeper, Harry was not sure anyone would dare not to do anything in Hogwarts anymore after last Friday's incidence.

Harry decided from now on he'd rather be safe than sorry.

Soon Harry arrived at the entrance of Dumbledore's office. He gave the password and was admitted inside to the staircase.

Harry knocked on the door and waited.

"Come in."

Harry pushed the door open and entered. Dumbledore was sitting at his usual place.

"Have a seat, Harry." With a casual wave of his hand, the various parchment scattered on the desk piled themselves into a pile and was pushed aside. There were two steaming cups of tea on the desk. Someone must have visited Dumbledore just shortly before. With another wave of his bony hand, Dumbledore made the cup nearer to Harry – the one the previous guest had used – vanished. A new cup appeared instantly with hot honeyed tea. Dumbledore inclined his head to indicate Harry to take the cup.

Harry nodded his thanks and took a sip at the sweetened tea.

"How are you feeling now, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry almost felt he were back when he was just first year – that Dumbledore was a gentle grandfatherly figure, whom Harry had really looked upon to and whom Harry had thought could make no fault.

"I'm much better now, thanks for your concern, Professor. " Harry couldn't help but moved his previously injured shoulder around a bit to test it. It was a bit stiff, but otherwise pain-free.

"I'm glad to know that. Firstly, I want to talk to you about your attack. After our investigation, we think that the creature that attacked you - a shadow ogre – came from the Forbidden Forest. I suppose Remus has talked to you on this creature? "

"Yes, he told me a bit about what you found when you arrived at that corridor. Is there any chance that I was just unfortunate to stumble upon it that night?"

"Well, do you think that's the case?"

Harry contemplated about what had happened and what Remus had told him again. He knew the answer." No. It's just too much of a coincidence for it to find me just when I was roaming the corridor that night, but no one else. And after the creature made the first move against me, the light of that corridor was turned off. Someone must have wanted me to be unable to defend myself in the dark. Also, I heard that the body of the creature was never found. Someone must have wanted to conceal what attacked me."

"Yes, exactly what I thought too," Dumbledore nodded while stroking his long silver beard thoughtfully, "the method of how that person managed to draw that creature on you is still uncertain. But I believe that it has to do with smell. The shadow ogre can discern the smell of its prey very well over long distance. "

"So… it's likely that someone is under Voldemort's order to try to kill me within Hogwarts?"

"It certainly seemed likely. No matter what, you know you have to be more careful now, don't you? "

"I will try."

"I'll keep you informed on the investigation. Meanwhile, I'd like to talk about something else."

Harry nodded.

"I'd like to ask you to re-establish the Dumbledore's Army this year."

"What?" Harry was not sure if he had heard right.

"Of course, theoretically, it will remain an unofficial and underground organization," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling in amazement to the incredulous expression on Harry's face. "Now, you are probably wondering what's the purpose of setting up Dumbledore's Army again, right? "

Harry nodded. "We're having Remus, no, I mean Professor Lupin as the DADA teacher this year. He's really competent in teaching us how to defend ourselves, so why do we still need DA…?"

"DADA is still restricted under the curriculum set by the Ministry. As you probably have noticed by now, it's mostly theory, not very practical. I want my students equipped. We are at the verge of a war, Harry. No matter whether the students are within the confine of Hogwarts or not, they would sooner or later be affected or even worse involved in the war. If we can do something to let them be prepared, if we can let them have even more practical and hand on experience, their chance of survival will be better. But I can't officially fit such practical thing into the formal teaching. So technically, this conversation has never taken place. Do you understand that? "

"I understand … but… I – I'm not really qualified to teach, professor…"

"By the experience last year, I think you are qualified, or should we say competent for the job, Harry. Also, this time you will have the staff's secret support too. You can discuss with Remus later how to organize the lessons, what and how to let the students practice. Also I will invite Auror to assist you. So, can you do me this favour, Harry? "

"Of course, professor… I will try my best." Harry was thankful that Dumbledore had given him a chance to make a difference.

"Thanks, Harry. I really appreciate it. Now, you can discuss with Remus about it later this week. You can go to your class now."

Dumbledore picked up the cup of tea in front of him.

Harry stood up from his chair to leave. His knee accidentally collided with the leg of the table. Harry lost his footing and had to grab the edge of the table abruptly with both of his hands to prevent himself from falling.

His hands pushed the table forward, jogging Dumbledore's arm in the process. The cup he was holding shook violently, its content spilling out of the cup and onto the table. The parchment on the table was soaked with the tea.

"I'm sorry, professor!" Harry made to reach for the pile of soaked parchment, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"Don't touch it!"

As both of them watched, smoke rose from the soaked part of the parchment. Acidic smell filled their nostril as the parchment became eroded and darkened.

With sinking horror, Harry realized there was poison in the tea. And Dumbledore had nearly drunk it.

"Professor – who… how… "

"Thanks, Harry. You saved my gut from a major disaster." Dumbledore gave him a small smile, and than frowned down at the mess on the table. "I'll take care if it, don't worry. Just go to your class now. "

"But, professor - "

"Let me deal with this, Harry."

"Sure, professor." With reluctance, Harry turned and left, his heart beat still racing on the sudden development.

His head was overwhelmed with question and anxiety as he raced towards the potion dungeon.

He was attacked in Hogwarts just three days ago. Dumbledore was just nearly poisoned in his own office.

What _could_ happen next?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

After an exhausting and nastily demanding potion with their least favourite professor, Harry and Hermione went back to Gryffindor common room together, while Ron went to discuss Quittditch team matter with Professor McGonagall. 

Harry had not had the chance to tell Hermione and Ron about what had transpired at Dumbledore's office, as Snape was practically breathing down their neck, which made it impossible to converse at all between themselves.

Harry and Hermione settled down in their usual spot beside the fireplace to do their potion homework. Harry decided to wait till Ron come back before telling them about the incident in Dumbledore's office.

Finally, Ron entered through the portrait hole.

"Guess who I have met in the entrance hall during lunch time." Ron said as he settled down in the armchair.

"Just spit it," Harry said while frowning at the potion homework, his brain jammed with names and uses of herbs and ingredients that didn't match with each other.

"It's Percy. Said he was here on 'Ministry business'. He didn't want to tell me what it was, of course. Bet it was about cauldron thickness, or this time robe thickness?"

Thoughts of potion fled as Harry's mind began to process the information.

"You should have seen the expression he wears these days - it's like the whole world owe him. I heard from dad that he's really suffering from working under Fudge, who's cracking under the pressure of the war."

"Ron, I think you should pay more attention to Percy," said Hermione, "Percy is shunted by bad-tempered Fudge. And he is not allowed in the matter of the Order. Who do you think he could now turn to? You better keep a closer eye on him, Ron. "

Ron stared wide-eyed at Hermione. "What are you suggesting? You can't possibly think that Percy. . . that he would . . ."

Harry threw down his quill. "Indeed… now where else could Percy turn to for power?"

"Voldemort." The trio muttered together darkly.

"But that's impossible! He wouldn't …" Ron said, unwilling to believe such a notion even thinkable.

"I'm not saying that he already has done so, but you know what ambitious he can be. There's a high possibility that Fudge would be forced to step down soon. Percy may be dragged down too. Then that's no telling what he might do next… "

They fell into a gloomy silence. Ron kept kicking sullenly at another armchair nearby.

Harry then proceeded to tell them what has happened during his meeting with Dumbledore this afternoon.

Both Ron and Hermione were positively shocked at the fact that the one who tried to poison Dumbledore nearly succeeded.

None of them was keen to voice out the suspect in their mind.

Harry fervently hoped that what they suspect would be wrong.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

"Crabble, Goyle, get me some ice beer. " 

"But… Draco, it's beyond the time students can get out of the common room. "

"I want it in front of me in 10 minutes. I don't care how. "

He then ignored their decidedly stupid face and turned. He flung himself down on his usual spot before the fireplace besides Theodore.

"What's wrong this time, Draco? " he looked like he didn't want to talk about it, but from experience, Theodore knew if someone of a higher intelligence level (than Crabble and Goyle at least) talk with Draco when he's in a bad mood, the chance of him doing something rash and extreme because of the bad mood would be lower.

Draco scowled his aristocratic face as if something vile was shoved under his nose. Usually only something… well someone would induce such an expression.

"It's nothing…"

"So, your little _trick_ on Potter has been discovered? " It had never worked to play around with riddles with Draco. He would just keep sidestepping from the topic of interest. Better be blunt with what he wanted to talk about.

Draco's slim eyebrow was raised in slight surprise and exasperation.

"How do you know? I thought I had been discrete. "

"Discrete? You call spilling the portion over Potter at the entrance to the Great Hall where anyone could see discrete?"

"Alright, I forgot who the Dark Creature master is, " Draco shrugged.

"So, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"Nothing, really. That old fool just scolded and lectured me. He didn't have solid proof that I was the one behind the attack. And he wouldn't dare do anything even if he did have any proof. I would have laughed out loud at his stupidity, but I don't want him to kick me out of this school _yet_. Not that I really like it here, just that I've got to stay here, you know what I'm talking about. "

"I see…"

"What I really am angry at, though, is how lucky that Potter has been." The menace in his cold grey eyes grew again.

"If not father has given me specific instruction not to interfere directly, I would have finished Potter after he has luckily beaten the shadow ogre. But, well, I guess I'll just have to wait. The chance _will_ come."

"I always wonder, Draco, what has Potter ever done to earn your special hatred that you even want to kill him yourself? "

"What had he done? Everything."

At that particular moment Crabble and Goyle stumbled back into the common room. They looked as if they had been running. Anyhow, they really got 2 mugs of iced beer with them.

Waving them off with an annoyed expression, Draco took a mug and offered Theodore the other one.

"You still haven't answered my question. "

"Why are you asking this, Theodore? " Draco asked, "you shouldn't have needed to ask. If not for him, our lord would have ruled this world for a long time now. All the muggle and mudblood would not be allowed to live as they are now – free, which has never been meant for creatures as low as them."

"Is it really what you want? To despise, to have control over anything that you deem unworthy?"

"Of course, Theodore. Rule or be ruled. This is the first rule I have ever learnt as a human being. What I'm doing is simply to work towards my goal. I am to rule, not the other way round. "

Theodore didn't really intend for the conversation to take such a way. But he couldn't help but felt resentment towards Draco's ideal. It's something he had been struggling against for a long time, but he had found no way out.

"You think so, only because your life is ruled the moment you're born into the Malfoy family."

"And what's wrong with that?" As if only realizing what he had said after the words had left his mouth, Draco frowned. He picked up his mug and downed it in one go.

His face turned sour, just like the bitter aftertaste of the black beer.

"I'm satisfied with what I'm presented with. I'm proud of my family. I accept that I'll do anything _not_ to be ruled, except perhaps a single person. What's wrong with thinking so? I don't suppose you really have another way out, do you?"

Theodore looked sullenly at his empty mug.

"Just because we haven't found one, doesn't mean that there isn't one." He muttered more to himself than to Draco.

"Well, even if there is one, I will not consider it." Draco said, "what I'm doing is what I want. "

For the first time in his life, Theodore honestly can't tell if his childhood friend's words were genuine or not.

"You're not _really_ thinking of another way, are you? " the dangerous glint in his grey eyes would have intimidated a lot of people.

But not Theodore Nott.

"Well, we have agreed that we would not touch on this subject, haven't we?"

"If you say so," Draco dropped his inquiring gaze and leant back into the armchair. "You know that you're one of the few people that I have respect for, Theodore. I trust that you're smart enough to make the right decision."

"The same goes for me, Draco. I just don't want you to do something you'd regret later. "

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

A/N: seems a bit awkward end, but that's all I can give at the moment. Let me know what you think of this chapter! 


	16. the Wolf and the Shadow

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine

Author's Note:

Well, it has been another 3 months already… I was afraid that I couldn't pick this up after so long…. And is anyone still interested in it? I am really sorry for the lateness, really, but school life was so busy and exhausting that sometimes everything else just slipped out of my mind…

Sorry for the awkwardness of my English. I think I'm getting rusty at this.

Huge thanks for all who have reviewed! I felt loved, but also I would hate to disappoint you…. I will try to update as much as possible but I will need continual support too

And Vellouette… how come you can guess what will happen in this chapter . ?

* * *

Chapter 16 The Wolf And the **Shadow**

_  
Harry walked along a dark corridor, his long dark robe trailing silently behind him. On one hand, it felt so dark and icily cold, like being dragged into freezing water. But on the other hand, some strange part of him felt at ease. This darkness was where he belonged. This darkness is exactly what he'd spread all over the world. _

_He turned into another hallway. The corridor ahead was sealed off with an iron gate. With a flick of his long, spidery hand, the gate opened. _

_He glided through a long hallway seemingly without end. He passed through countless cell doors, behind which moans, sometimes insane scream, could be heard. _

_He stopped in front of an unremarkable cell. The door to the cell was swung open. _

_The sight of Bellatrix Lestrange made hot hatred boiled within Harry, an emotion he recognized truly as his own. _

_"Bellatrix, have you broken the boy yet?" a harsh, high pitched voice, definitely not Harry's own, came out of his mouth. _

_"Of course, my lord." With an exaggeratingly flourished bow, Bellatrix pointed towards the bloody heap on the floor. _

_It was a tall young man, or what remained of a young man. His right leg was bent at an impossible angle to the thigh. Blood was everywhere on the floor, soaking the young man's broken robe, even splashing Bellatrix's pale face. _

_The dried dark blood made such a stark contrast with her sickly pale face that her face looked more insane than ever . _

_"We had such a wonderful time together, hadn't we dear? "_

_Bellatrix bent down and lifted the young man's head by his dirtied, blood matted blond hair. _

_Harry realized with horror that it was a face that he recognized. He didn't know him by his name, but knew him to be a Ravenclaw student graduated two to three years back._

_One of his eyes was swollen shut and bleeding. The other was squeezed shut with pain. _

_Bellatrix ruthlessly shook the young man's hair. "Answer me! Haven't I already made myself clear that you've to obey my every command? You were such an obedient little boy. You have told me everything, haven't you? Answer me! "_

_The young man winced and moaned in pain. "Please stop…"_

_Bellatrix raised her wand. Purple light flashed. _

_With an inhuman and over-abused voice, the young man let out a blood curling scream. _

_His left thigh bone was shuttered. _

_"Say it! Say you're enjoying this! Or do you want your left hand or right hand gone next time?"_

_"No! Please don't! I enjoyed… master, I enjoyed…" There was simply no shame left in the young man anymore. It was burnt out of him long ago._

_**All he wanted was for it to end. **_

_"Pathetic." Voldemort's voice said. "Bellatrix, we're having a special guest of honour right now witnessing this tonight. Make it more entertaining."_

_"Yes, my Lord. My pleasure. "_

_"Imperio." _

_One of the young man's bony thin hands rose slowly. _

_"Don't…" _

_It moved to the other wrist and gripped it tightly. He pulled. And pulled. And pulled. _

_He pulled at his own arm with all his might. _

_"No! Please stop!" _

_He screamed as one of his own arms was being brutally pulled by the other. _

_**Stop it! Stop it!** Harry screamed in mind. He wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't. He wanted to help that person, but he couldn't. He wanted to escape. _

_But he's trapped. _

_With a sickening pop sound, the young man pulled his own arm out of its socket._

_Mercifully, the young man passed out from the pain. _

_"You want it to stop, Harry?" Voldemort's voice spoke to him. "As you wish."_

_A flash of green light. The young man's chest stopped the ragged rise and fall. A life was extinguished like someone stepping on a dying ember. _

_"Bellatrix, go to the next one. We don't want out guest to be bored! The night is still long. We've plenty of time to entertain him!"_

_"My pleasure, my Lord." Her madness shone through her eyes.  
_

**_Let me out! Stop it! STOP!_**

_"You're going nowhere tonight, Harry. Soon you'll stand in their place, and I promise you, the torture will not stop! I will not just let you die."_

_NOOOO!_

…

…

A sharp pain to his forearm woke Harry from his hellish nightmare.

Padfoot was biting into his forearm, his pointed teeth sunken into his fresh, drawing blood.

Tears were cascading down Harry's eyes.

It took forever for the tears to stop.

With a gentle nudge with his mind, Sirius urged Harry to put on his invisibility cloak. Harry gratefully let Sirius's suggestion took over; he really really wanted to escape from it all. He really needed to let his mind cool down. Together, they treaded out of the room. Harry had little recollection, but somehow, they had gone down the road to the giant lake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Paleness of dawn sipped slowly into the dark blue night sky. Harry was sitting on the glass, facing the fathomless giant lake, his hand idly stroking Padfoot's supple fur. 

"Why did he have to do this? What's the point?" Harry said aloud, his eyes still swollen from the previous tears shed for someone he didn't even know the name of.

He knew he couldn't bear to find out the name, ever. His heart would surely bleed to dead. Or may be he would go mad and set out to revenge for an innocent life destroyed so mindlessly and ruthlessly.

/He doesn't need any reason to be cruel, Harry. It's just his wicked way of making you weak, don't you see/

/I wonder… if it weren't for me, would the end have been different for him…/

/No, you don't, Harry. You know it's futile to think like this. There wasn't anything that you could have done. His life was doomed the moment he got into the hands of those Death Eaters. /

/I know… I know I couldn't have done anything… may be except killing Voldemort, there's no other way of stopping all this cruelty… /

Cold breeze ruffled Harry's damp hair as he stared blankly ahead.

He just couldn't see past the faint fog in front of him. Where did the path ahead lie?

Sirius remained silent. Harry knew Sirius was grieving with him too, because he alone could truly feel how deep Harry's grief went. And also Harry's anger at himself, for he could do nothing.

/Thanks, Sirius. If it weren't for you, I would still be trapped there. I would have surely gone mad… /

/I couldn't have done otherwise, Harry, and I'm sure you would have done the same for me too./

Padfoot shoved Harry's shoulder lightly with his head.

_Rest. I will watch over you. _

Harry complied. He lay back down onto the damp grass, closed his eyes and let his mind drift restlessly.

At least, Harry knew he would be safe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

* * *

... 

Harry missed the first lesson of Charms that day. Thankfully, after Charms there was a free lesson. Harry couldn't possibly dare to appear in front of anyone with his swollen eyes and the terrible dark circles underneath them. Also his head had hurt tremendously, with his scar throbbing steadily like someone hitting him with a hammer again and again.

It was until lunch that Harry had recovered enough to brave the Great Hall for lunch. Needless to say, Hermione and Ron were worried. Hermione was about to inform Dumbledore himself of Harry's absence if he hadn't shown up.

"Harry, where have you been? What -" Hermione blurted out the moment Harry sat down opposite her and Ron.

Ron cut Hermione off gently with a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him sharply with a glare, but Ron simply shook his head.

"Harry, you must be very hungry. At least I know I'm starving! Let's dig in!" Ron quickly filled Harry's plate and then his own plate with food.

Harry was grateful for Ron's understanding. He guessed he must have looked like hell for Ron to know something was terribly wrong and that Harry needed the time to himself.

Hermione also restrained herself, albeit unwillingly at first. But after she calmed down enough, she too seemed to realize something was wrong, and hence stopped further inquiry throughout the lunch, for which Harry was grateful too.

There was a copy of Daily Prophet on the table in front of Harry. He couldn't bear to pick it up. He was afraid that he would see the news of someone missing. He was afraid of seeing the name or the photo of that person from his dream…

He wondered if he would ever gonna be able to tell anyone else about this.

Just when Ron was struggling to start a normal conversation, Seamus sat down next to Harry.

"Hey, Harry. Where have you been this morning? Haven't seen you got up at all."

"I think I have eaten something wrong last night. My belly was queasy and I just went to the hospital wing for some medication. I feel much better now."

"I see. By the way, have you guys heard of what happened this morning with Hagrid? "

"What?" Hermione looked up sharply from her Arithmancy book. "What happened to Hagrid?"

"Well, actually nothing really happened to him," Seamus said, "but during his lesson with third year Ravenclaw this morning, a student was attacked by a centaur. I heard he was in hospital wing now. Have you seen him there, Harry?"

"No, I haven't. I left after taking the medication. Who was hurt? Why did the centaur attacked him?"

Harry had a sudden feeling that he already knew who it was.

"It's a boy… I forgot his exact name, but I heard he was Theodore  
Nott's brother. As for why he was attacked… no one really knew, I guess. " Seamus shrugged.

"Those centaurs were not exactly being friendly with human beings ever since this summer, I guess… " Ron trailed off upon seeing the dark expression on Hermione's face.

"You two are having Care of Magical Creatures today, aren't you? Let's meet you guys afterwards at Hagrid's. I want to talk to him…" Hermione said. Then she left for her Arithmancy lesson.

"Do you know what this is about?" Harry asked Ron as he decided he had had enough poking of his food. Although he hadn't had breakfast this morning, he really didn't have much appetite.

Ron shrugged.

"Hermione and magical creatures. Sometimes, I don't really want to know what it is about. But I guess it's about her angering those centaurs last term? "

"Maybe… " Harry's head started hurting again. He could really do without this new incident. But on the other hand, he was worried about Stan.

He just hoped that Stan had not been badly hurt.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

... 

After a rather interesting lesson on merpeople, Harry and Ron waited at Hagrid's hut for Hermione. Hagrid was glad to have those two staying for a while to chat, as they haven't done so for a while.

Hermione soon arrived, looking a bit out of breath as Hagrid invited her in.

After Hermione settled down and all of them with a steaming cup of honeyed tea on their hands, they talked about various things. First was about the attack on Stan this morning. Hagarid was worried about the altitude of the centaurs these days.

"The kid, Nott, just wondere' off by himsel' into de forest. The centaurs got all fuss up and throw him out. I guess it was then they hur' him. His arm bone was broke', but it was nothin' madam Pomfrey couldn' not mend. "

Harry was a bit relieved to know that his young friend had not sustained any permanent injury. However, the attack itself seemed worrying enough.

"Is that so?" Hermione said a bit skeptically, while her hand ruffling Fang's fur. "Have they tried to attack you, Hagrid? Have you told Dumbledore about this yet?"

"No, they wouldn' dare to attack me. Though I' avoi' goin' in unless it's necessary. The time I went in to see for mysel' any signs of de shadow ogre attackin' you," Hagrid looked towards Harry, "they followe' me the whole way through, with bows raise' at me! Those centaurs… it's the first time ever they show care to anythin' closer than the moon, still you really don't have no idea abou' what they think. Dumbledore said we'd give them some tim' and observe…" Hagrid shook his giant head, as if thinking observing those eccentric creatures would yield nothing useful, which Harry would heartily agree.

"So, have you found anything with your investigation in the forest?" Ron asked.

"Not exactly nothin'. I couldn' find any shadow ogre… I did foun' somethin' strange. The creatures in the Forbidden Forest, they seem so restless lately… "

"Restless?" Ron asked.

"Ya, restless… they're more watchfu' of the comin' and goin' of other creatures… as if they're afrai' of somethin'… and also strange is that they seem to have a common purpose… as if something 's drivin' them to do somethin'… "

"You are speaking as if something is controlling those beasts in the forest… " Ron looked uneasy speaking out the thought, probably having those giant spiders on his mind, "you don't reckon it's got anything to do with why or how Harry's attacked, do ya?"

"I honest don't have no idea…" Hagrid said.

Harry signed and drank from his cup. He felt drowsiness wash over him as he listened half-heartedly over the following conversation on how Grawp was doing and various other things. He guessed it was because he barely got any sleep at all last night… as soon as his thought strayed towards what happened last night, he stopped himself and reined back. He couldn't bear to think about the nightmare again yet.

Instead, he tried to focus on the comforting presence of Sirius at the back of his mind. It was a fuzzy and distant feeling of Sirius, probably somewhere within the forest. He seemed to be spending quite a large proportion of his free time within the forest. Harry thought idly that he might ask Sirius about what cause the uneasiness in the creatures in the forest later.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

... 

It was nearly dinner time when the trio set their feet outside the hut and head back towardsthe castle. Harry decided he would pay a visit to the hospital wing before dinner and hence told Ron and Hermione he would catch them up in the Great Hall.

Harry knocked on the door to hospital wing.

"Mr. Potter. " Madam Pomfrey opened the door a bit to peep at who was outside.

"Don't tell me that you've got hurt _again_. I didn't heal you so that you can get reckless again and end up back here." There was a tinge of annoyance in her voice, probably not happy at all to see his face again so soon. Under her scrutiny, Harry simply scratched his head, feeling like he had done something wrong.

"Well, no. Actually I'm here to visit Stanley Nott. It that OK?"

"oh…" Madam Pomfrey opened the door to let Harry in. "Ok, sorry about being touchy, but my patient has been so inquisitive, that I haven't got a moment of silence ever since he - "

"Madam Pomfrey! " someone yelled from behind the curtain surrounding a bed. "I don't really understand your point about how a modified freezing spell can help stop an internal bleeding - "

"You've got a visitor," she cut Stan off, a bit sterner than usual, as she drew the curtain aside.

"Harry! You're here visit me?" Stan looked small buried under the thick blanket. His left arm was bandaged and fixed in a swing. He looked a bit pale, but other than that he looked quite normal, or even excited to Harry.

Madam Pomfrey soon left the two alone to chat. (She looked more than eager to leave, actually.)

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Harry asked, sitting at the bedside chair.

"I'm ok. It doesn't really hurt anymore," he said, pointing to his injured arm, "it just feel weak. Madam Pomfrey's healing was just fantastic! She mended my broken bone in what seemed like less than a minute, yet with so much precision. You should have seen it! It was really amazing!"

Harry couldn't help but smiled at his enthusiasm. "Well, I have seen it done on myself enough time actually."

"You're probably right… anyway, I was a bit bored at first, having to stay here for two days to rest, but I can ask so many questions… "

Harry was sure no one in their right mind would be as glad to be restricted in the hospital wing… well, perhaps except Stan.

"Hm… so what happened? Why did the centaur attack you? "

"I don't really know, truth be told. Hagrid was talking about his fobbler-worm (or whatever those disgusting things were called), for god's sake! He said he would start with the most basic and simple of magical creatures before introducing more trickier species… and those worms're so boring! "

Harry nodded in knowing sympathy.

"So, I kind of sneaked off while the others were feeding those things… I wandered close to the forest… well, I didn't know when or if I really wandered _into_ the forest… don't give me those incredulous look, Harry, 'cause my brother already did…

"I was within the forest for less than 20 seconds and suddenly a centaur stepped into my path, holding something like a bow in his hand. He ordered me to leave immediately, saying something like the forest being their territory and didn't want sneaky human in… I was trying to explain to him I was just trying to escape from the fobble-worm lesson and the next thing I knew, I was in hospital wing. "

"He just attacked you like that?"

"Yea… I really haven't done anything to provoke them…"

Someone entered the hospital wing at that moment.

"Stan, I've borrowed some books for you from the library…" Theodore Nott's voice trailed off upon the sight of Harry. He just nodded at Harry to acknowledge his presence.

Harry nodded in return and stood, believing it's best for him to leave. Unlike with Stan, Harry didn't know what to make of Theodore Nott. He knew nothing of him, except that despite being a Slytherin, he was not really one of Malfoy's sidekicks or worshippers.

"See you later, Stan."

"Ok. See you around. Thanks for visiting."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

... 

Harry sat down next to Ron in the Great Hall. Both Ron and Hermione, who sat opposite them, looked up from their food to greet him.

"Hey, have you found out anything?" Ron said while Harry was helping himself with the food.

"Well, just as Hagrid has told us. At least now I know that the centaur was totally un-provoked. They just attack because Stan got into the forest. "

"Did they really? Nott really haven't done anything to provoke them?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, they did."

"Oh…" Hermione sounded dismayed at the information.

"Hermione, it isn't really your fault that they turned so hostile." Harry said, despite thinking how Hermione had treated them at the end of the last term really precipitated their hostility.

Hermione just shrugged and signed. "I just hope it isn't my fault. I had no choice… "

"Desperate situation called for desperate action," Ron said, "and you don't have to worry much I guess, cause they will come around sooner or later. Or rather, they would turn their attention back to the stars and ignored human sooner or later."

"I hope so… "

They then continued their meal, Hermione still clearly troubled.

"By the way, Harry," Ron tuned down his voice, "What are you going to do about DA?"

"I have no idea. I haven't the time to give it serious thoughts yet."

"I think you should," Hermione said, "Dumbledore entrust to you this important task… it's giving you a chance to make a difference, Harry. We should plan together. Like how are we going to recruit members, what are we going to teach, how we are going to teach, and…"

Harry grinned to Ron at his success in diverting Hermione's attention to less gloomy and more constructive thought.

"I think… I'd like to consult Remus on this. " Harry said, while his eyes automatically searched the head table for Remus. However, his seat was empty. "I wonder where he is… "

"Come on, Harry, you don't know what day today is ?" Hermione lowered her voice too, not wanting to draw attention.

"It's full moon tonight." She whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

* * *

... 

Remus put down the goblet and his face scowled up in disdain. After so many times, Remus still couldn't stand the taste of the Wolfsbane portion. It was simply revolting.

Sometimes it would make him wonder if Snape really did deliberately make this portion so nasty tasting.

It was his last rational thought as the pain of transformation started, and the part of him that was 'wolf' threatened to take over.

The moon must have risen up the horizon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Sirius approached the office of his last remaining best friend. 

He had told himself many times not to do this. Yet he couldn't help… if he couldn't let Remus knew of his survival, at least he would reunite with him when Remus was in his wolf form.

It was cowardly of him to do this, he would admit, however reluctantly.

As he sneaked up on the locked office, he mused how like the old days it would be.

He could hear he low growl of the beast within. Sirius knew it so well – it was a low coarse growl, clearly showing the impatience and boredom the wolf felt being confined in a small cage. Sirius could hear the faint scratching of craws against wooden floor.

_You longed to be set free, right? You belong to the wild, not this confinement_. Sirius thought to himself as he studied the lock, wondering how on earth he could open up the lock.

The faint growling and scratching sound against the floor died out. The wolf must have sensed the scent of his old buddy.

Sirius gave a faint growl in response as he stared at the lock sternly, as if willing it to open.

_Click_.

The lock was opened. Sirius didn't care how or why at that moment.

Slowly, the door swing open.

Padfoot came face to face with Moony once again.

Padfoot had to brace himself as the massive wolf crashed into him. He didn't struggle as the wolf pounced on him, the momentum carrying both creatures several meters along the floor. The familiar hot breath of the wolf washed over him as the wolf pinned him down and put him under his sharp scrutiny, and sniffing him all over.

The wolf's yellowish gaze collided with the dog's pale blue gaze.

Through the wolf's yellow eyes, a torrent of emotion was battling each other to burst through the surface. Doubt, confusion, hurt of betrayal, distrust, longing, sorrow, and… hope.

After seemingly forever, Padfoot felt the ticklish licking of the wolf upon his face.

He was accepted back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Soon, the two powerful creatures raced across the deserted corridor, stealthily and silently. 

Padfoot could tell that both of them was restraining themselves nearly to the bursting point, as they ran out of the confines of the old castle, out of the confines of the human world.

Soon, they were out in the wild, back at their old home.

Padfoot and Moony stopped, inhaling in the scent that was each other, that was family, immersed in the wild atmosphere that was their home.

They howled, long and solemn, under the pale illumination of the full moon.

All other living creatures in the Forbidden Forest quivered in fear and respect for the two shadowy creatures that returned to claim their rightful place after so long a time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

* * *

The wolf had never felt so _free_ in his life. Perhaps he had been, but it was all a distant memory of four friends racing together, ruling the forest. It had been but a distant memory of another life with hopes that had been shattered ruthlessly, life of freedom ruined. 

But now, as he ran side along side with the dog, he felt himself so full of joy and full of life.

It was the taste of freedom of his mind, as long last.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Remus woke to the shining ray of midday sun. 

As usual, he found himself lying naked on the floor, his body full of sourness and dull aches that was inevitable following each transformation.

He was even more tired than usual – it was as if he had run a thousand miles the night before, which was absurd, as he should have been confined within the boundary of his small office.

_Or had he? _

Why did he feel so refreshed, despite his physical tiredness? Why did his heart feel so light?

He closed his eyes, trying to recall what it had been that caused this strange feeling.

Remus had been so immersed in his thought that when he went out of the room to get a shower, he failed to notice the strangeness of the unlocked door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

A/N: of course, this chapter is a set up for what will happen in the next. Please Review and tell me what you think of this chapter 


	17. Apology

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Harry Potter, seriously

AN: yes, I am indeed still alive! This chapter…. It is short…and it is more of a transition to the next. The next chapter is what I have been scheming for ages. So I will at least get the next chapter done, no matter what!

Thanks for sticking with me for so long!

Also… I apologize for the poor quality of grammar of this chapter… as it was done in a bit of rush…

x

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

x

Chapter 17 Apology

x

When Harry woke up, Sirius was still nowhere to be seen. Harry hadn't seen him ever since the supper the day before. He tried to reach towards him through their link, but all the response Harry had got was the distant awareness of Sirius's location and his emotion. He was tired but content, and by no means in any discomfort or immediate danger.

Harry's sleepy mind decided that there was no need to be worried about Sirius's short absence. His sleepy mind also convinced him that there still was time and he could catch another fifteen minutes of sleep before getting up and facing the day.

It was with great difficulty that Harry dragged his tired body away from the warm and cozy bed. The autumn morning was chilly, Harry noted dully as he walked towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry greeted Hermione and Ron and then sat down next to them and helped himself to some toast and pumpkin juice.

Harry noticed the sullen look on Ron's face as he gnawed on his toast. Perhaps the chilly morning air had served to wake Harry up from the stupor of his sleep a bit for him to notice this.

"What's the matter wi-with you?" Harry had to stifle a yawn.

"You don't reckon it'll be Snape this time, do you? " Ron asked.

"How would Harry know, anyway." The annoyance in Hermione's voice clearly indicated her anxiety over who would substitute for Remus for the morning's double DADA lesson.

When they arrived at the Defence classroom, however, a pleasant surprise none of them had anticipated was waiting for them.

"Can you believe it? It's Dumbledore!..." Ron exclaimed to Harry and Hermione, who stood behind him as he peeped into the classroom.

Before they could reply, a chuckle could be heard from inside. "Yes, indeed it's me in real person, not an imposer who had taken polyjoice potion or whatsoever, Mr. Weasley. "

Ron muttered an embarrassed apology to Dumbledore as the trio stepped into the classroom. All their classmates wore the same relieved expression on their face.

"Now, now, I have never imagined that I'm such great a headmaster that my students would look so enthused to see me in classroom," with his crystal blue eyes twinkling behind the half moon glasses, Dumbledore surveyed his students. "Nonetheless, it's at least a refreshing experience for me."

Dumbledore strode to the front of the desk and continued, "I'm sure all of you are aware of the circumstances that rendered Professor Lupin unable to attend this class. I assure you he will be up and about in no time. But meanwhile, I've got to solve the problem of one DADA teacher short once a month. So, I've come up with an idea. "

Dumbledore smiled at the politely puzzled expression the whole class was giving him.

"I'm going to elicit your help. You all are going to teach in place of Professor Lupin in his absence. You will form into groups of 4-5 students. Each group will be responsible for one class of third or fourth year students. You're to design a course, discuss with Professor Lupin, and implement it once a month when Professor Lupin is unable to go to class. What I really want is for you all to utilize your brilliant mind more fully, help out your junior a bit, while at the same time have fun. "

Excited murmur broke throughout the classes. Some people looked enthusiastic, while some looked just mildly interested. For the rest of the lesson, Dumbledore discussed with the class on what they thought were important and what they really want to learn most from the defense lesson.

It got most of the class to start thinking about how they were to prepare themselves for the war that was coming relentlessly.

x

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

x

After the day's lesson ended, Harry went to visit Stan one more time. To Stan's disappointment(as he wanted to stay in hospital wing and ask more questions on healing), Madam Pomfrey had declared him 'fit for discharge' that night.

"Stan, can you help me with something?" Harry asked. Actually he had contemplated this for a while, but he couldn't ask Hermione or Ron for help.

"Sure! Friends are supposed to help each other out, aren't they? " Stan looked up from his terrifyingly richly illustrated books on healing.

"I'm thinking of trying to become an animagus."

"Really? That's cool!" Stan half exclaimed, his eyes widened in awe, no doubt thinking that his wanting to be an animagus would have something to do with some secret adventures.

Harry felt really bad to have to lie to him.

"Yeah, because I think it may become handy someday soon. But I want to keep it as a secret. The problem is, learning to become an animagus is a really risky business. I have heard rumors that… terrible things happened to those who tried it lightly."

Stan nodded. "You're right. From some books I've read, there are at least a hundred possible complications to the process of becoming an animagus."

Harry knew he had found the right person.

"Yes… I know. I have heard one that was particularly terrible… that although the wizard successfully turned into an animal, he just… couldn't turn back. So he was stuck as an animal."

"Really? That I think I haven't really read about."

"I want to be an animagus… so I really need to know if such complication is possible. If I'm really stuck in my animal form in the process, then would there be a way to turn back? Would there be a way for other people to help turning me back? This I really want to know. I hope that you can help me with your expertise on healing."

"I'm most honored to be able to help! I'll try my best! And I'll definitely tell nobody about it too!" Stan's eyes were shining with delight. He was probably thrilled that he could help Harry in some serious business.

"Thank you, Stan. Your help really mean a lot to me." Harry said truthfully.

After chatting a bit more with Stan, Harry left the hospital wing for the Great Hall.

Harry had tried researching on animagus for a while now, with not much success. He really wanted to help Sirius get back to his human form. He was sorely tempted to seek help from Hermione. However, Sirius had made it quite clear that he didn't want anyone else to know of his survival.

Asking Hermione to help him find about how he could turn an animagus back to his human form would certainly ring some bells.

Harry was also tempted to ask McGonagall, the Hogwarts transfiguration specialist, about it too. But for the sake of discretion, it was not feasible. That's why he finally came up with the idea of seeking help from someone who didn't know Sirius and his animagus status at all.

Harry was not sure why… but Sirius didn't seem too outwardly anxious for his condition. He even seemed reluctant every time Harry tried to bring this subject up .Harry could not comprehend how on earth he would not be anxious.

More likely, Sirius was just not expressing his distress in front of Harry so as not to burden him.

Harry had secretly (he had tried _really_ hard to conceal this thought from Sirius) decided that returning Sirius back to his human form, in the end, should take precedence over all else. If Harry could figure out nothing to help Sirius, he would seek help from McGonagall, or even Dumbledore. But he would try his best to respect Sirius' wish first.

x

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

x

During dinner, Harry noticed that Remus was already up at the head table. He was, as usual after transformation, looking a bit worn out. However, at the same time he was taking to Professor McGonagall besides him in an uncharacteristically high spirit.

"Don't you think Remus looked almost _cheerful_ today? But it was just after full moon…" Hermione also noticed the change.

"How can he be cheerful?" Ron turned to the head table and observed for a while. "Well, I don't know… but he does seem to be really eating now, doesn't he?"

Indeed, Harry had hardly seen Remus with such good appetite ever since last term. With a stab of guilt, Harry wondered if Remus was just finally recovering from the grief of the supposed 'demise' of his last best friend.

After dinner, Harry and Hermione headed for their Prefect meeting and went on patrolling for a bit before returning to the common room.

As Hermione went back up her room for books, Harry found Padfoot lying comfortably in the Gryffindor common next to the fireplace.

Harry also sat down in the armchair in front of the fire place, and chatted idly with Sirius about what they should teach the third year students.

/It's so like Dumbledore to come up with such kind of strange and clever ideas./ Padfoot was swinging his tail slowly, his giant head lay down on top of his crossed paws, near to the hearth. Harry could feel the drowsy contentment of a belly full of deliciously warm meal seeping through their bond. Or was the contentment his own? He couldn't really tell.

When Harry really thought(not that his drowsy mind was really that capable of much coherent thought), Sirius had been a bit too suspiciously content… he had asked Sirius where he had been the previous night, but Sirius had just shaken his question off with some vague answer of 'in the forest'.

/yeah… I was just simply glad that it wasn't Snape… though I think it would be nicer if Dumbledore actually taught us some DADA… instead of this teaching thing we have to do…/ Harry's eyelid was so heavy. He sank further deep down into the sofa.

/what do you say to dueling? Maybe we should just have a dueling practice… that could be simple but useful... /

'Harry? Have you seen Ron?'

/Or we should teach shielding spell. That would really be helpful if they are attacked…/

"Harry? Harry!"

/Harry, you are spacing out/

The sudden jolt in Sirius' awareness also jolted Harry back to his surrounding. Ginny was practically glaring down at him, her arms crossed, annoyance and suspicion radiating out from her whole stance.

"Ginny!"

"Harry, are you sure that beast that attacked you haven't caused you some permanent brain damage? You seem to be spacing out _a lot_ lately."

"I'm sorry," Harry sat straight up, one hand lifting his slipping glasses back up his nose. "It was just so comfortable in front of the fire and I was just dozing off… you find me for something?"

/your excuse is _so_ brilliant./

Harry couldn't help but glared at Padfoot, who had an infuriatingly smut grin on his face. But as if suddenly realizing Ginny was still glaring at him in suspicion, Harry hastily looked back to her.

"Yes. I was asking if you by any chance have seen my dear _brother_ around."

"Oh… I haven't. I mean the last that I saw him was back at dinner."

"Ok. Thanks anyway." With a quick swirl, Ginny turned and walked away without a backward glance.

/If you keep this dense face up, that smart girl is going to notice something's wrong and give us trouble./ Sirius said.

/It's only _me_ who'd be troubled, anyway./ Harry signed. He knew that sometimes he would just be too absorbed in his 'conversation' with Sirius that he became less alert to his surrounding. He was a bit annoyed at himself for being so ignorant about such thing sometimes. He really didn't want other people to start questioning his behaviour.

x

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

x

Sixth year life at Hogwarts was really tricky. Not only did they have to face the difficult and more intensive than ever teaching for NEWTs, they also were burdened with duties of Prefects and team captains. Moreover, Harry also had to start thinking up on how he was going to run the Dumbledore's Army again. He decided that he should come up with a plan before discussing it with Remus.

At the end of another long and tedious day, Harry, Ron and Hermione settled down in their favourite spot near to the hearth. The tables in front of them were flooded with their new, thick textbooks and piles of parchment. The three of them, even for Hermione, were trying in vain to tackle their piles of assignment.

After a long struggle, Hermione sank down in her armchair and rubbed her eyebrows in tiredness. She got up from her chair, stretched a bit, and then picked up a paper bag she had carried with her and started moving around the common room. As she did so, she dropped pieces of clothing around.

Harry exchanged an exasperated glance with Ron.

"She's at it _again_?" Harry muttered a bit incredulously.

"Well, you know, ever since the incidence with the centaur, I think she's been quite stressed out… and she has been very keen on helping out her fellow magic creatures." Ron shrugged.

"Hermione," Harry couldn't help himself but said as Hermione sat down again. "What you are doing is a bit …selfish."

"What?"

"You are forcing others to accept things that you think are right, even if you well know that they don't want it."

Hermione's face turned indignant.

A voice at the back of Harry's mind was telling him to drop it, but somehow words just spilt out of his mouth.

"Let's face it, Hermione. You are as good as telling Crookshank not to chase and harm mouse. You might think it is wrong for Crookshank to kill, but it is in a cat's nature to chase mouse and eat them, or else they may die, just as it is in an elf's nature to serve. They are even proud of it. You can't force them into accepting things they don't want."

"It doesn't mean what they are accepting is right! They have the right to live in dignity and quit being bossed around! They just need to be enlightened of the rights entitled to every living creatures - "

"Do this justify what you are doing, Hermione? Who do you think has taken all the clothes you left around last year? It was Dobby. No other elves were willing to clean the Gryffindor common room last year because they thought what you did as an insult to them. You are injuring their dignity by trying to catch them off guard and setting them free against their will. Your aim doesn't justify the radical actions you are taking!"

"How dare you Harry! How can you say this - "

"Someone has to point it out to you before you do more damage - "

Harry regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. He didn't understand why he was doing it either. But he just couldn't back down.

Sirius was just silently watching their interplay with what akin to be amusement, Harry noted resentfully.

"I cannot believe it!" Hermione declared. "It's fine you aren't concerned with elf right, but you have no rights to criticize my action!"

"If a friend doesn't have the right, who does?"

Hermione ignored his comment. "It doesn't mean that everyone have to be committing mistakes just because you _did_."

Harry had a vague idea what Hermione was on about. "What?" He glared at her, daring her to speak her mind.

"Hey guys, just cool down!" Ron said, clearly incredulous that they were arguing so heatedly all of a sudden over _house-elves_.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about! It doesn't mean that everyone have to be wrong just because you have played the 'hero' and led Sirius to death by mistake!" Hermione gasped sharply and bit her lips as soon as her words left her mouth, as if then realizing the harshness and the irrationality of the words. The colour on her cheek was fading as fast as that on Harry's.

Hermione's words felt like invisible daggers stabbing right at Harry's heart. His face winched and his hands trembled, his whole torso rigid. Both stood their grounds and glared at each other. All Ron could do was standing rooted to the ground with his mouth open and shut and open again, his throat issuing unrecognizable sounds every now and then.

"Guys, calm down - " Ron finally found his voice back.

"Good night, Ron." Hermione snapped and turned around, her face still pale as ghost. In a flash, she stormed off to the stairway leading to the girl dormitory.

"Well, that's the first that you two had such a quarrel," Ron said, his eyes still wide from shock, "though I don't get why you two all of a sudden get so heated up…"

"I don't know either." Harry threw himself down the armchair, troubled.

Padfoot was silently giving him a reproving glance.

For the next few days, Hermione acted as if Harry didn't exist. Whenever Harry sat down at the dining table, she would soon get up and leave. During lessons, they would each talk to Ron and acted as if the other was not there.

Ron was like a fish out of water. Always he was at a loss of what to do. Very often he looked as if he was restraining himself very hard to not hit them hard on their head to wake them up from their stubbornness.

It was not that Harry was really mad at Hermione… he was certainly also at fault. Although he really meant what he had said, he should not have expressed it in such a hurtful manner. However, he was just not sure how he would redeem it…

How was he going to confront Hermione? What ever should he say to her?

Ever since the episode back at the Order Headquarter during the summer in which Hermione slapped him, their relationship stood a bit shaky. He should have seen it coming, seeing it that as of yet he and Hermione had not had major quarrels in the past five years as close friends. However, when it finally happened, Harry really was at a loss. He really didn't want their friendship to be ruined and drifted apart like this, he really didn't want it to happen, yet he found it hard to apologize for something that he did right.

But he guessed their friendship was way more valuable than his mere pride.

Harry leant against the window sill and stared outside. Under the soft illumination of the new moon, the Hogwarts ground looked ethereal. He could hardly see any life form out in the cold night air, except an occasional owl or two…

As he decided that he really should get moving and locate Hermione to apologize to her, he turned from the window. A silhouette entered his peripheral visual field. Immediately he span back and strained to follow the silhouette that was striding its way from the front door of the castle to the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

Harry sprang up, rushed to his room(all the other roommates were sleeping, except Ron, who was still in the Quidditch captain meeting) and grabbed his invisibility cloak. Checking his wand in his pocket, he swiftly left.

Harry didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the long cloak that she wore, maybe it was the way that she walked, or maybe it was simply the way with which she held herself… but Harry had known the silhouette was none other than Hermione's the moment he set his eyes upon her. After five years, Harry just knew Hermione too well. Without further thought, Harry knew he had to follow her. He simply couldn't let Hermione wander alone into places as dangerous as the Forbidden Forest in the night, especially in light of the recent attacks in Hogwarts, regardless of how smart and intelligent Hermione was as a witch.

It was an instinct - Harry just had to let his body act. There was simply no other way but to follow.

x

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

x

Hermione drew the cloak even closer around herself, if that was possible. She hadn't expected the night air to be so cold… chilling her to her bone.

Or may be it was just her psychological fear for what she was about to do.

She didn't know what drove her to do it. The moment she woke up from a dream, no, a nightmare(which details faded completely when she returned to her full consciousness), whole body covered in cold sweat, she suddenly had the great urge to do _something_.

She simply couldn't let things be the way they were now.

It was her fault to begin with – her fault that Stanley Nott was attacked by the centaur.

If not for what she had done last term, the centaur wouldn't hold such animosity towards human beings.

This knowledge had been weighing down on her lately. She knew she couldn't rest soundly without setting it straight, but honestly, even she was said to be the brightest witch of the year, Miss-know-it-all, she really didn't know what to do this time.

Then why were her feet still moving towards the Forbidden Forest seemingly on their own accord?

She shook off the thoughts. Thinking about how it was impossible was useless.

She could do it- somehow, she would apologize to the centaurs and made them see that all that happened last term meant no harm to them.

x

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

x

Please review to let me know that there are still people out there who enjoy what I'm writing.

Look forward to writing again to you all in the next chapter!


End file.
